Sookie, Interrupted
by Jan of Arc
Summary: What if Sookie's parents had listened to the doctors? Hadley and Sophie-Ann rescue Sookie from a Mental Facility. Spoilers up to short story 'One Word Answer'. AU/OOC. Re-posting from Live Journal.
1. Alone  Easy Target

_This is a little idea I had, it was first published on ffnet on 30th January 2010 but I pulled and moved to LJ for a few reasons that I've now gotten over. _

_What if Sookie had been put in the looney bin? She's young, she hears voices, her parents took her to doctors yet there's never a mention of one coming close to a diagnosis. This is what I think would have happened if a doctor had managed to convince Sookie's Parent's she was schizophrenic, but she's not in the nut house forever - she gets discovered by Hadley and Sophie-Ann! Okay, Free air guitar to anyone who can guess the link between the chapter titles in this fic! _

Sookie, Interrupted - Chapter 1 – Alone + Easy Target

I've been here for years. Trying to survive, trying to make sense of my situation, and failing miserably. The medication didn't help; it just dampened the strong part of my mind that can block out the crazy thoughts from the nut jobs I'm living with. I cheek them whenever I can get away with it, it's not the doctor's fault, they really _are_ convinced I'm just hearing voices not reading minds. Letting them think that makes my life easier. I walk through the community room to my balcony, of course it was all fenced in so no-one would throw themselves off it, but it was a sanctuary. The only reason I started smoking was so I could come out here on my own, that and I was hoping the poison from the cigarettes would seep into my system and shorten my time locked up in this facility.

****FLASHBACK****

_I can hear Gran shouting that they shouldn't do this to their daughter, their little girl. My parents think I'll be safer where the doctors and psychiatrists can keep a close eye on me. We drive away and their thoughts of guilt make fat tears slide down my cheeks. I watch my Gran and brother Jason through the window as we go, they're crying too. Jason always felt he had to protect me, stand up for me, and Gran had too, but Mom and Dad had the final say and they didn't want to make excuses for my behaviour any longer – they wanted a perfect little girl, not a sullen, introverted 16 year old who couldn't stand to be in the same room as anyone else and screamed 'shut up' to no-one in particular even when they weren't saying anything._

_Dr. Fletcher had diagnosed schizophrenia and they took him at his word, booking me a room in casa de Looney, otherwise known as Valmont Mental Hospital. I would stay there until the doctors thought I could be 'stabilised' through medication._

_The drive from Bon Temps to New Orleans was silent, to my parents at least, with few rest stops. I was thankful when we pulled up at the hospital, my suitcase in hand; I was ushered towards my doctor. With one glance back at them, I smiled weakly. If I'd known it would be the last time I saw them I'd have made more of an effort to let them know I didn't blame them._

****END FLASHBACK****

I didn't like remembering how I got here, I tried to convince myself that I'd always been here, that I'd never even had parents. It was impossible when Gran and Jason visited me of course, but when they came and sat with me I felt loved at least, even if I know their lives are easier without me in them. I know Gran wanted me to come home and even Jason did to an extent, but the doctors were concerned about my 'episodes'. The times when I heard the thoughts of the seriously disturbed and couldn't handle it, I had curled into a ball on the floor crying.

I was in a better place now; the section I was in was for young women with mild problems, very minimal security. When I first came here 9 years ago I was in maximum security for my screaming sessions, they had to strap me down a few times and then I was on suicide watch, you would want to top yourself if you heard the every thought of the sick psychopaths in the rooms next to mine. I survived, I realised the meds made me worse and took action. Once I was blocking them out and spent most of my time calm and in control I was moved to where I am now. I've got another review in two months and I think I might be allowed a home visit after it to see how I manage a weekend back in Bon Temps.

I have friends here, those girls whose minds are quieter or less complex, the conversation isn't up to much but we share time and its easy company. Valerie had Body Dysmorphic Disorder and was prone to self-harm and Lindsay had PTSD from a gang rape when she was 12. We were a happy group as you can imagine. Much of our time was spent watching TV, it gave us something to talk about, well it did until the maximum security wing across from our communal area was closed then re-assigned.

A couple of years ago vampires came out of the woodwork, it was a shock but it cleared a whole lot of rooms in the hospital as all the folks who were admitted for delusions about fanged men and women were released. The vampire community noted the disused wing at the hospital and funded it's regeneration to accommodate members of their community who were injured in attacks by right-wing groups and drainers. Apparently attacks of that description went up 600% after their announcement and their leader in New Orleans didn't have space for them in her facility. I'd heard a lot about her, Sophie-Ann LeClerq; she was quite the attraction in the Big Easy and was usually in the papers a couple of times a week.

Autumn was coming to a close and the colder, darker nights were making my evening smoke quite entertaining. I was able to watch the vampires coming and going in and out of the building from the balcony, it was scary at times when a severely injured and awake vampire went in, the noises were almost unbearable. The visitors were nicer, checking up on their vampire buddies with their lovely outfits and elegant movements, they all looked so mysterious!

I stubbed out my cigarette and watched two female vampires walking towards the 'Vamp-itarium' as I called it. It was Sophie-Ann, I'd seen her picture many times but I was more intrigued by her companion. I hadn't seen her since well before I'd been shipped out of Bon Temps; last we'd heard she was chasing the dragon. I pressed myself closer to the rail and hooked my fingers through the bars

"Hadley?" I hadn't shouted but it was louder than I'd spoken for a long time, not loud enough for her to hear surely? It must have been, she looked up at me, confused and startled

"Sookie? Is that you?"

I nodded but suddenly felt... ashamed? Hadley, my cousin, had been lambasted for her drug habit back home but here she was looking great, a little glowy and pale with some major Goth thing going on but great nonetheless and I was worn and tired, wearing sweats and looking as crazy as the doctors thought I was. It would have been nicer to meet her after I'd 'gotten better', and had nicer clothes and more sleep. I drew back from the balcony and retreated out of her sight, I didn't mind Gran and Jason seeing me like this but somehow other people knowing where I was and what was wrong just humiliated me.

Everyone had their own spot in the community room, mines was on a sofa in front of the TV with my knees drawn up to my chest and my arms hugging them. I felt it was the best position to retreat into my own mental hide-away, building my wall to stop other people's brains from distracting me. I heard a little commotion down the corridor, probably Jodie trying to blow one of the orderlies again in the hope they'll let her out so she can score. Grant, my favourite orderly (well, he didn't think of using the bed restraints and raping me, so that made him my favourite) came up and looked down at me, he had a far away expression and his eyes were kind of misty

"Sookie, you've got a visitor"

"But, it's night; we don't get visits at night. Who is it?"

"A friend, come with me."

I stood and followed him. The other inmates, sorry patients, watched closely and with a considerable amount of jealousy. I was taken to the private visit room, that was usually where doctors got together with the patient and their family to discuss things, on the sofa inside were Hadley and Sophie-Ann. I turned to ask Grant why he'd let them in when they weren't on my approved visitor list but he was already out of the room and had closed the door. I sat across from them, they were so beautiful, I didn't know what else to do so I started to cry.

"Oh Sookie! Why are you in here?"

"The doctor says I've got schizophrenia, Mom and Dad took me to him because of the voices."

"But you hear people, they're not just random voices, we all know that! How could they put you in here?"

"Doesn't matter, they're dead now, they got caught on a bridge during a flash flood on the way home from leaving me here."

"Oh my god!" Hadley sat next to me and stroked a hand down my hair, it was so peaceful, so quiet. Wait ... I couldn't hear anything, nothing, I disassembled my walls brick by brick and still nothing.

"Sookie? Are you okay?"

"I can't hear you."

"ARE YOU OKAY SOOKIE?"

"No, no Hadley. I mean I can't _hear_ you" I tapped my forehead and looked at Sophie-Ann "I can't hear you either, there's just emptiness, a void."

They both looked at me, then at each other. Sophie-Ann looked ... pleased? Triumphant? It was so difficult to tell when you didn't have their thoughts to back it up. I wasn't sure whether to be excited about this revelation or be scared of it, I'd never talked about actually hearing thoughts since they brought me here, it was dangerous, if one of the staff overheard they'd lock me up good and tight for the rest of my life. Sophie-Ann leaned forward, making sure she had my full attention

"You seem afraid child. You have nothing to fear from us, I assure you."

"It's not you ma'am, I can't talk about 'hearing' people, they'll keep me here forever if I do and I'm so close to being allowed home for a weekend, I don't want to ruin it" I started crying again, I didn't make a habit of crying in front of others, I made sure everyone was always asleep before I let my tears roll.

"You hear everyone else? Humans?"

"Most everyone else, some people are fuzzy, snarly, but others come in a little too loud and clear, it's amplified when I touch someone. The meds they put me on make it hard to block them out so I've only been pretending to take them the last few months, I'm a good patient so they don't watch me too closely."

"Perhaps I should speak with this Doctor who diagnosed you, surely he realises that if vampires exist there could be many other beings out there with ... quirks ... I would very much like to see you use your mind reading ability. It fascinates me."

"Uh ... thanks? But I don't see why you would want to help me."

"Other than you being related to my Hadley" she looked at my cousin lovingly "I believe that having a telepath would be most useful, you see we could know who was thinking of attacking my kind before they had the chance to do it!"

"So ... I could ... help people?"

"Indeed you could Sookie! If we'd known we had humans thinking of attacking us, the building next door would not be as full."

I was very apprehensive about helping vampires, I'd read an article about people who wanted to work for vampires so they could have sex with them and be bitten, I didn't want that! I was still a virgin, not much scope for relationships in the nut house, and I liked all of my blood being in my body thank you very much! But I was so alone here, tired of people telling me I was sick in the head when I wasn't, there was no doubt that this vampire propositioning me knew I was an easy target.

"Would it be like ... a job? Would I get paid for helping out?"

"Of course!" Sophie-Ann laughed "In fact I have more respect for you since you've asked about that! You really would deserve to be in here if you agreed to help vampires without asking for something in return!" They stood and Hadley opened the door "What is your Doctor's name?"

"Dr. Fletcher diagnosed me but it's Dr. Jacobs that prescribes my meds and does my therapy sessions."

"Very well, you will be hearing from them soon to have your ability tested, and hopefully you will be undiagnosed and able to leave this ... place." She said 'place' like you would usually say 'dogshit', then they turned and left without a goodbye. I bypassed going back to the communal area and went to my room to sleep and digest what had just happened.

OoOoO

I woke up when I heard the hum, click of the locks being disengaged, between the hours of 8am and 9.55pm we were free to roam around our corner of the facility but everyone had to be back in their room by 10pm to be locked in. I didn't have a roommate, out of the eight rooms on our floor, only 3 were shared. I got up, grabbed my clothes, toiletry bag and towel and shuffled along to the shower room. Once I was clean and dressed, I decided to see what offerings were available for breakfast.

The usual rubber-egg omelette, cold toast, too-crispy bacon and gelatinous oatmeal – yum!

After breakfast it was med time, Rosemary (thinks we're all trailer trash whores) had the clipboard to tick off everyone's names, Tyler (usually had rape fantasies about the bed restraints) brought round the tray with the little cups of colourful forgetfulness and Carl (fantasised about throwing his Mother-In-Law into the vamp-itarium) had the paper cups and water jug. I silently waited for my turn but it never came

"Uh ... Rosemary? Did you miss me out?"

"No" her answer was clipped and cold "You're off the meds until your review tonight at 8pm, Dr. Jacobs left a note for me."

"Oh. Okay then."

I wondered how my vampire visitors could have gotten Dr. Jacobs to see me so soon; it was usually about a two week wait to see him for an unscheduled review. Although if Sophie-Ann is the _leader_ of the New Orleans vampires, she must have a heck of a lot of clout, maybe my Doctors have been _convinced_ to review me, the same way Grant was convinced to let them visit me last night. Either way, I shouldn't question and I shouldn't complain, if all goes well I'll be out of here, have a paper trail that says I'm perfectly sane and a job into the bargain!

My day passes much like any other on the face of things, but inside I'm in knots. What if it all goes wrong? What if they don't believe I'm a telepath and think I'm a bigger Looney than before? I check the time and note that Valerie and Lindsay are already in front of the TV for 'Days of Our Lives', it sucked but we could stretch out 45 minutes of chat about each episode when it was done. Soon it was supper time, I went outside for my evening smoke afterwards and watched the vampires come and go. As I was stepping back through the door Dr. Fletcher was coming down the corridor looking right at me

"Miss. Stackhouse, could you come with me please" I nodded, he had a typical doctor voice, smooth as honey. The kind of voice that soothes, I wondered if they taught that in Med school. I followed him out of our enclosed world, down several corridors which all looked exactly the same, until we entered a conference room. I wasn't surprised to see Dr. Jacobs or Sophie-Ann and Hadley, but I was surprised that Gran and Jason were there, along with a rotund man who was as tall as he was wide. I was hugged by my human family, the two vampires nodded and tall and wide shook my hand, introducing himself as Mr. Cataliades (emphasis on the _tal_ and _e _parts) Sophie-Ann's lawyer.

We played games for a little while, the doctors would think of a word, number or colour and write it down and I had to confirm what they had thought of (I scored 30 out of 30), they tried 20 question with me too (I got all 15 answers on the first question) but it was when I described a photograph of Dr. Fletchers Mother down to the details on the dress and the chips in the fence paint that they were really convinced. Both doctors asked me why I'd hidden it from them for almost 10 years, Gran, Jason and me all gave them an 'are you fucking kidding me?' look.

Sophie-Ann was convinced and very excited, demanding Mr. Cataliades dig the employment contracts out of his briefcase right away, I'd have said she was almost giddy. Gran helped me look over the paperwork, it all seemed quite fair. I would be reading any human staff and visitors at the vampire headquarters; I would accompany Sophie-Ann to functions and would travel with Sophie-Ann on any out of state business to ensure any humans in her immediate vicinity meant no harm to her or her retinue. I would also be expected to visit other areas of the state of Louisiana to read human staff of more prominent vampire businesses. In exchange I would receive a very substantial salary, with a clothing allowance for official functions and my own suite in the vampire compound. I would also have a driver at my disposal all hours and more importantly I could refuse to be a blood donor for the vampires at the compound without reprisal.

"This looks great but I'd like to know if I'd be able to go home and visit my family at any point?"

"Well" the lawyer looked like he didn't want to tell me this "You won't have time the first 3 to 4 weeks, not only will you have the human staff to read but we would like you to use your free time to train your mind. To learn to focus and build stronger shields."

Sophie-Ann walked around the table and put her cold hand on top of mine.

"Sookie, we know that your fellow townspeople have a low opinion of you" Gran, Hadley and Jason all nodded "we wouldn't want to send you back there unprepared, we want you at your strongest so you don't have to deal with any small town thoughts they might have about you. If you go home too early, you may break down. It's for the best." She smiled at me, then the lawyer cleared his throat

"As soon as you're mentally prepared you can go home anytime you like, if you have 2 or 3 days without plans you could stay with your Grandmother or Brother in Bon Temps. But we would like your main residence to be in New Orleans."

I thought about it, they had a very good point. Of course they would want me to train my brain and be strong and not put myself in situations where my delicate psyche could be overwhelmed. What good is a Telepath if her mind is frazzled?

"Okay, where do I sign?" Smiles all round, even Gran and Jason. The doctors told me they'd get my release paper work organised and I could leave the next day. I made a point of asking if Lindsay could get my room, she was sharing with Kyra who had promiscuity and appropriation problems, she didn't need to hear how much sex Kyra had had with all that she'd been through.

OoOoO

After breakfast the next day, Dr. Jacobs came round to look over my discharge papers and told me that a car would be coming to take me to my new home around lunchtime, so that gave me a few hours to pack up my meagre wardrobe and few knick knacks I had in my room. I said goodbye to everyone, spending longer with Valerie and Lindsay, Linds was very happy to be getting her own room away from Kyra. Despite what passed as friendships in Valmont, I was happier than a pig in shit to be getting out of there and away from those crazy girls.

Dr. Jacobs waited at the reception desk with me until my driver came in and took my bags, loading them in a trunk of a town car; he then held open the door for me to slide in the back seat. It was a short journey to the vampire compound and the driver was one of those fuzzy, snarly brained people, we didn't talk, I was too nervous. We came to a large gated driveway in the French Quarter and were waved through by some very large guards. The car stopped and the driver got out and opened my door for me, I could get used to this! I walked up a few steps and before I could knock the large front door was swung wide. The lady who opened the door was wearing an old fashioned black and white maid's outfit with a badge that told me her name was Miriam and a brain that wasn't giving anything away

"Welcome to the residence of Sophie-Ann LeClerq, we've been expecting you Miss. Stackhouse."

"Umm ... thank you but please call me Sookie"

"I don't think so" geez what crawled up her ass and died? "Follow me and I'll show you to your room, a guide has been assigned to you, he will come to your room after sundown to inform you of protocols and behaviours within the compound."

"Uh ... okay. Let me get my bags." I turned but a young man already had them in his hands, his name was Paul

"Already taken care of Miss. Stackhouse!" Hmph! He seems eager, loud broadcaster too, his mind is like Swiss cheese, his thoughts are so random and disjointed, I don't know how he can even function! It's like big sections of his mind have been removed or scored out with a heavy pen.

I'm led up the most opulent staircase I've ever walked on to a corridor lined with French doors along both sides. The forth door on the right is unlocked and Miriam holds out the key for me to take. I pluck it out of her bony fingers and thank her for her time, of which she wastes no more of on little old me. Paul places my bags on the bed and smiles as I thank him for his time also, I like that he's gracious, manners are important.

Closing the door behind them, I start to unpack the arrangement of sweats, jeans, t-shirts and underwear that I own. There's no way my current clothes are going to cut it in this place, I wondered if they'd give me an advance on my salary to buy some new clothes, my guide would tell me I guess. I also wondered who my guide would be; Miriam said he would come after sunset so it's more than likely that it's a male vampire. I place my shampoo and shower gel in my private bathroom and then I realise ... I have a private bathroom! I don't have to have a communal shower anymore and I can go out and buy a razor so I can shave too, in the hospital we had to de-fuzz under the watchful glare of a female orderly! I get a burst of excitement and jump onto the bed, bouncing up and down with glee. For the first time in my life - it's good to be a telepath!


	2. My Poor Brain

_A/N: Eric will be making an apperance - when it makes sense for him to show up. Sookie has some things she needs to experience before she gets involved with him._

Sookie, Interrupted - Chapter 2 – My Poor Brain

I didn't take long for me to familiarise myself with my accommodations at the vampire compound, it was like a small studio apartment. Large main room with sitting and sleeping area, large bathroom, and a small kitchenette with a table and everything! I could live here, quite happily. I was hungry, and the kitchenette cupboards had yet to be stocked. I didn't really want to roam the hall, who knows where I'd end up! I had noticed a phone in the room, but hadn't looked closely at it; maybe it had a list of numbers nearby? Ah, yes, here we are – press '0' for help. It rang once and a very deep, very male voice answered

_How can I help you Miss Stackhouse?_

"Uh, how did you know it was me calling?"

_Your room number came up on the display_

"Oh, okay. I'm feeling a little hungry, but I'm not sure where I could go to get something to eat..."

_What would you like and I'll have Paul bring it to you_

"A burger maybe? With onion rings and fries?"

_Certainly, it will be brought to your door as soon as possible_

"Great, thank you!"

Wow! I imagine it's just like being in a swanky hotel! You see stuff like that in movies all the time! I looked at the time, maybe 2 hours until sunset, plenty of time for me to eat and prepare myself to meet my vampire yoda. Hey, if vampires are real what if there really _is_ a yoda? I'll have to ask my guide when he gets here. There's a light rapping at my door and there is Emmental Paul with my burger, I'm polite and mannerly until he turns his back then I tear into my meal like a wild animal. It's the most delicious thing I can ever remember eating, it's been so long since I've had food that hasn't been cooked to charcoal or reheated to death. My apartment, my own bathroom and the food I've just eaten has sent me into a state of near euphoria. I turn on the radio and find a station that's playing some catchy pop and dance my socks off with happiness.

There was another knock at my door, I looked out of the window and saw it was dark. I'd been so busy enjoying my freedom I hadn't noticed how little light there was in my room. I turned on the overhead lights and went to see who was visiting me. Standing there were Hadley and a handsome dark haired man, he must have been just less than six feet tall, his thick brown hair brushed the collar of his shirt and his sideburns were a little long and wide for this day and age. They came inside and Hadley grabbed both my hands in hers

"How are you Sookie? Is everything to your liking?"

"I'm great Hadley, this is amazing. I can't thank you and Sophie-Ann enough for getting me out of that place!"

"Well, if I'm honest with you, I don't think Sophie-Ann would have been as willing to get you out of there if it wasn't for your telepathy."

"It's just as well I have it then, isn't it?"

We both giggled and I was about to ask her how on earth she ended up being a vampire and working for their leader when the dark haired man cleared his throat.

"Oh! Sookie, this is Bill Compton, he'll be your guide here in the compound."

"It's nice to make your acquaintance Mr. Compton" I held out my hand and he just looked at it like I was holding out a dead rat "Okaaaaay, you don't shake, got it!"

"I'm looking forward to working with you Miss Stackhouse; we vampires aren't fond of physical contact other than feeding and sexual intercourse."

I would have laughed but his face was deadly serious. Hadley made me aware of a manila envelope in her hand

"This is your copy of the contract you signed and a map of the compound. There's also a list of human staff we'll need you to read and a list of staff that can assist you during the day. It'll take a while to get used to vampire hours but Sophie-Ann would appreciate if you were awake more at night."

"Sure, I can understand that. I know Sophie-Ann is the leader of the New Orleans vampires..."

Bill snorted and looked at me like I was one can short of a six pack.

"Sophie-Ann is our Queen, not just in New Orleans but Louisiana as a whole."

"Really? Wow, so she's like, uber-important? Cool. So what does she do, other than rule her Queendom?"

"I'll leave Bill to answer all your questions, I should get back to Sophie-Ann" Hadley turned to Bill "You should explain about our leadership system to Sookie, she'll need to know everything if she's to serve the Queen adequately."

They nodded at each other and Hadley left. I smiled at Bill and he smiled back, it wasn't cold or friendly just kind of ... professional. He started explaining all about Queens and Kings and Sheriffs and lieutenants but I got kind of lost. When I asked if I could get some paper and a pen to take notes he scowled at me but called someone to bring some up for me. Two hours and three pages of notes later, I knew all about the system the vampires used and had names of important vampires in our state and names of the Monarchs friendly with Sophie-Ann.

"So Soph ... the Queen ... would like me to read all of her human staff and I think she plans on having me travel to the other areas in her State to do the same is that right?"

"Yes Miss Stackhouse. Would you like to start now?"

"Can I ask you some questions first? About you? You can ask about me too if you'd like." The look he gave me said that he didn't really want to know about me at all.

"What kind of things would you like to know?"

"Were you picked to be my guide or did you volunteer?"

"The Queen instructed me to be your guide because we have something in common. I, too, am from Bon Temps; she thought it would make you more comfortable around me."

"Really? Wait! The house across from my Gran's is old Jessie Compton's place, is he a relative of yours?"

"I'd rather not talk about my family, perhaps in a couple of hundred years I may be more amenable." A couple of hundred years? Is that his way of saying 'I will never speak to you of this subject'?

"So what do you usually do? I'm guessing 'Advisor to naive telepaths' isn't in your job title."

"I was travelling with a nest when the Queen called me into her service; I don't have a particular trade or business that I involve myself in."

"A nest?"

He sighed, obviously bored at my questions but humoured me nonetheless "When a group of like-minded vampires travel or live together they are referred to as a nest Miss Stackhouse. Is that all?"

"Call me Sookie, please, and yes that is all for now, my head had been stuffed full of information tonight but I would manage maybe having one human to read. I don't want to exert myself too much on my first day. Brain frazzle."

"Certainly" he seemed confused by my choice of words "A majority of humans left in the compound at this late hour are willing donors, I will fetch my favourite, you can read her."

Bill left my room and I wondered what kind of girl would be a willing donor, surely that isn't healthy. I pondered this as I looked over my notes and re-read my contract. He's been gone for over half an hour, where the hell is this donor?

I decided to make a list of questions I had to ask, maybe not tonight, I was close to overloading my grey matter but definitely tomorrow night. First question – my clothing, would I get an advance to buy more appropriate clothes. Second question – Could I just leave the compound any time during the day and would I _have_ to have someone to drive me around. Third Question – even though I had some driving lessons from Jason at home, would I be able to learn to drive while I was here so I didn't need a driver all the time. There that would do for now.

Almost two hours, what the hell is this guy doing? Just then someone knocked at the door. It was Bill with a pretty but scrawny looking young woman, he looked quite pink at the cheeks, like he was almost human and she looked ... tired and pale, with a large wound where her neck met her shoulder.

"Mr. Compton, I was wondering if you were coming back."

"You may refer to me as Bill, I decided to feed upon finding Collette, I wasn't sure how long this was going to take."

"Uh okay. Hi Collette." I held out my hand and she pulled on my fingers limply. I ushered her over to my sofa and sat down next to her, Bill stood to the side, eyeing us with interest. I took her hand and lowered my shield

_Why the hell am I here? He's already fed and fucked me, does she want to watch? I don't think I could go another round with him tonight; he took so much blood and was quite rough. Why doesn't he heal my bite marks like some of the other guys?_

"Collette" I kept my voice soft "I'm a telepath, I'm just going to ask you some questions. Is that okay?"

She nodded but still kept on her train of thought. I could see in her mind that the sex they'd had certainly _was_ rough. Seeing it from her point of view was quite shocking, he didn't care for her comfort or pleasure, he didn't seem to care about how much blood he took either and she was worried she'd need a few days off to recover, losing money in the process. I shook off the images I'd seen and started asking her some leading questions about the Fellowship of the Sun and drainers to see if she knew anyone involved with that kind of stuff or was passing information about the vamps on to them. She was clean and I said as much to Bill. After being in Collette's head I was glad there was a clause in my contract that said I didn't need to let vampires feed from me, it looked like a traumatic experience.

"Thank you for letting me speak to you Collette. You can go get something to eat now, a nice juicy steak and some broccoli!"

She smiled at me and Bill seen her to the door. I was trying to digest everything I'd gotten from her; I didn't notice Bill coming over to sit on the couch with me.

"You did well tonight Sookie. I was thinking tomorrow night you could start earlier and read some of the serving staff rather than donors."

"I would like that Bill. Can I ask why Collette is your favourite? If that isn't too personal of course."

"I don't mind. Collette's blood is very ... tasty ... and she has many ... talents."

"I see. She was concerned that you took too much blood from her this evening, she'll lose money if she has to take time off to recover."

"Hmm ... well she didn't say anything to me, but I'll be more careful next time. I would prefer she was here to service me nightly rather than my having to make do with a different donor while she is absent." Nice, don't bother showing any concern for _her_ needs Mr. Compton!

"If that's all you need me to do, I'm very tired, I'd like to go to bed now."

"Of course, I'll be back after sunset Sookie. Before I go, I was wondering if there is a chance I may taste you at some point in the future? You smell very nice and I'm intrigued as to how different your flavour may be with your telepathic ability." Urp! I think I threw up in my mouth a little.

"Uh ... I'd rather not Bill." He looked at me intently and I felt a pressing on my mind "What are you doing? I've got a big enough headache as it is!"

"Nothing!" he answered a little too quickly "I'll see you this evening Sookie." He kissed my hand and left. I immediately went into the bathroom and had a shower, between the request for a taste test, Collette's visuals of them getting down and dirty and the hand kiss I needed to feel clean. I washed quickly then spent ten minutes letting the hot water beat down on the tense muscles at my shoulders. Throwing on some pyjamas I slid into the cool cotton sheets and drifted into sleep.

OoOoO

One good night's sleep later, I was refreshed and absolutely starved! Maybe it was because I had used my brain so much the night before or because I knew I'd get an appetising meal, either way I needed fed ASAP. I dialled '0' and asked a soft spoken lady for a little bit of everything, then threw on some sweats and paced eagerly. A very good looking young man called Alain (who also had Swiss cheese brain) delivered my feast and assured me it would be no trouble for me to call them to have other meals brought to my room.

"Thank you Alain, it's just I don't have any money until I get paid. As soon as that happens I'll have my little kitchenette stocked and ready for snacking!"

He looked at me strangely and left me to devour the toast, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits and warm bread rolls with butter – all breakfast foods despite the fact it was 11am, I guess they must be used to people sleeping in around here! It. Was. Amazing. Stuffed with good food, I decided to make a list of things I had to buy myself. Some business wear to make me more professional looking, some make-up, some glamorous clothes in case I had to go out in public in the evening, razors, fancy shampoo and shower gel, nice underwear, a lockable storage box for my paperwork, shoes - flats and heels.

I took out the contract again and double checked the amount I'd be paid every month. It was a lot so I added a laptop and cell phone to my list. Every month when I get paid I can go over my list and cross off what I buy. I checked the time, 2pm, still early. Maybe I could go for a walk. I looked at my list of helpful daytime people and dialled the number for my security person

_Frank Parr here, how can I help you Miss Stackhouse?_

"Hi Mr Parr, it's a nice day and I was wondering if it would be okay if I went for a short walk outside."

_The compound has a wonderful garden area; I'll be up in 10 minutes to escort you._

"Oh thank you Mr Parr."

I was kind of nervous about going outside, yesterday was a simple walk from door to car and then from car to door, before that my smoking excursions to the balcony, the last time I was _outside_ for any length of time was my parents funeral. I checked my purse, yep still some smokes left, I'll take them in case my nerves get the better of me. I paced up and down the room for a while then I heard someone at the door. He introduced himself as Frank but I barely heard him, he was ... he was gorgeous! Tall, over six feet, with light brown hair carefully styled and gelled in place, dark blue eyes and a full mouth. His body was muscular but in an athletic way not a weightlifter sense and he was wearing an expensive looking suit. When I got back to his eyes I could see he was checking me out too, but probably wasn't as impressed with me as I was with him. He had a snarly, cloudy brain.

"Miss Stackhouse, are you okay?"

"Yes! Let's go and it's Sookie."

When he smiled his eyes crinkled in the corners, the lines on his face were those of a smiler not a frowner, that made me feel better about having him as my security person. As we made our way through the building Frank explained that some of the human staff had been photographed and attacked by the Fellowship of the Sun, but there was no solid proof that the attacks had been ordered by the organisation. That made me kind of sad, that humans were willing attack other humans simply because of who they worked for. We came to a set of French doors and beyond them was a wonderland!

A beautiful walled garden, with a pond that had a bridge going over it. A gazebo with benches in the shade, a summer house in one corner and more colourful flowerbeds than I could count. Despite there being a wall around us I still felt very exposed, I noticed a bench near the building and sat down, Frank sat next to me, I took out my cigarettes

"Do you mind if I smoke here?"

"Not at all, you'll notice a bucket of sand next to where you're sitting."

"So, Frank, can I call you Frank or would you prefer Mr. Parr?"

"Frank would be great" he laughed "Usually people don't ask."

"Well manners are free! Do you know why I'm here?"

"Yep. Hadley, the Queens handmaiden, told all the staff that you're a telepath and we've to take real good care of you."

"She did? Wow that's so nice of her. She's my cousin."

"Really? Well she told us you'd be here to read the humans, make sure no-one is a spy or anything like that. The attacks and drainings are getting worse. They need all the help they can get."

"Can I ask you something? It might be kind of personal so I don't mind if you don't want to answer."

"Sure, you can ask."

"I can read most humans, you sure look human but I can't read you. It's like there's a cloud or a thorn bush around your mind. Is there a reason for that?"

He laughed, it was a big laugh, it would ordinarily sound lovely but as a response to a serious question I took offense! He must have noticed the scowl on my features and stopped, looking at me with interest.

"I'm not human" I tried to stop the shock clouding my face but must have failed miserably "You know that vampires are among us, don't you think there would be other things, supernatural creatures that just haven't come out in public?"

"I guess I didn't. I've been in Valmont Mental Hospital."

"Oh. Right" he cleared his throat obviously he didn't know where the Queen had found me "Well I'm what they call two-natured, I can change into an animal, a cheetah to be exact."

"That. Is. So. Cool! It totally explains why your brain reads the way it does – your animalistic nature, makes your emotions and thoughts more primal."

"For someone who's been in a mental ward you're pretty smart."

"I read a lot, I think I borrowed every book on brain physiology the library had. So all the other people who have snarly brains are two-natured? You can't all be cheetahs, so I'm guessing there's a whole menagerie out there."

"You're right; we usually call ourselves weres, with a lower case 'w', Werewolves call themselves Weres with a capital 'w'."

"So you're a were-cheetah?" He nodded "That explains the snarly brains but not the Swiss cheese brains."

"I'm sorry, the what?"

"Some of the humans here have big ol' holes in their minds, like Swiss cheese or someone's gone through their head with a big magic marker. I'd never encountered it before I came here."

"I think I know what it is" he shook his head from side to side smiling "Glamouring. Vampires have a type of mind control; they can get in your head to make you do what they want you to then just take out the memories so you never know it's happened."

"Oh my god! That's horrible!"

"That's how they survived for thousands of years without being discovered on a large scale."

"I know I go inside peoples head but I'd never use it to get them to do my bidding or change their memories." And that's when I remembered the pressing on my brain from Bill's stare the night before "Son of a Bitch!"

"Are you okay? What brought on the cursing?"

"That's what he was trying to do; he was trying to glamour me into letting him suck on my neck. Just wait til he comes round tonight I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind and not the piece that he can look into my eyes and steal neither!"

"A vampire tried to glamour you and you felt it? It didn't work?"

"Hell no! Boy am I glad. Must be my funky brain not letting it happen. Do you know Bill Compton?"

Frank's face went a little dark, he looked very serious.

"I've never met him but I've heard stories about a nest he was in. There were four of them, Malcolm, Diane, Liam and Bill. Since the reveal they've been banned from entering 3 states by royal decree and goodness knows how many areas by the sheriffs."

"Banned? What for?"

"They don't like to mainstream but they flaunt their vampirism and antagonise local humans. I heard a story from another were, they took a fancy to his girl she was human and they glamoured her and drank from her, dumping her on his doorstep barely alive and ... used ... in the most horrible way."

"That's terrible Frank; did anyone do anything about it?"

"He took it to the local Sherriff in Jackson but he was told he should have kept a closer eye on his human. For every area they're banned from how many do you think put up with that kind of stuff and do nothing?"

"Too many. Bill doesn't seem real nasty but he said that a nest was a group of like-minded vampires, even if he didn't actually _do_ anything; he still thought it was acceptable to treat people like that. I'm going to have to be very careful, in fact I think I'll go back to my room and make a phone call."

"Sookie, I hope I haven't upset you" I shook my head and smiled "okay then, I'll see you back to your room."

We got back upstairs and said our goodbyes. I liked Frank, he seemed honest and open and he was damned easy on the eye. I looked out my contract again and called Mr. Cataliades to see if it would be possible to add a no glamouring clause in there.

_Mr. Cataliades office how may I help you?_

"Hello, my name is Sookie Stackhouse. Mr. Cataliades arranged my employment contract with Sophie-Ann LeClerq; I was hoping to speak with him about it."

_Please hold and I'll see if he's available Ma'am._ I didn't even get to the count of 20. _Transferring you now Miss. Stackhouse._

"Thank you"

_Miss Stackhouse, how can I help you today?_ The lawyer's voice was unmistakable

"Hi, I know there's a clause in my contract that I can refuse to donate blood but I was wondering if it could be altered to including that I cannot be glamoured into donating my blood also."

_One of them tried to glamour you? They obviously didn't succeed if you're calling me to ask for this amendment. If you know they're trying to glamour you then why do you need it?_

"What if it worked one time?"

_Very smart Miss Stackhouse. I will speak to Sophie-Ann about this and we'll see what we can do. I will come to see you if the amendment is to be included, I would need you to sign the new papers._

"That's great Mr. Cataliades. Thank you so much for speaking with me today."

_Always a pleasure to speak with someone as mannerly as yourself Miss Stackhouse. Have a pleasant day._

"You too. Bye."

Hmm. That was easy. I decided to call down for something else to eat. I'd probably be reading more than one human tonight so I should take a nap too. I put my contract back in the manila envelope and left my question list out on the coffee table to remind me to ask them tonight. Bill had behaved himself the night before but who was to say he would continue to do so, after hearing about the nest he had been in I wanted to cover all my bases. I made a new question list for Mr. Cataliades and Sophie-Ann, most of the questions concerned my safety at the compound.


	3. Overdrive

Sookie, Interrupted - Chapter 3 – Overdrive

I was woken from my nap by pounding at my door, I checked the time and was surprised at how long I'd been out. The comfy bed and lack of crazy brains made sleeping so much easier. I found Sophie-Ann, Hadley, Bill and Mr. Cataliades looking decidedly annoyed at how long it had taken me to open the door to them. I apologised and stood aside to let them enter. Bill and Hadley settled on the sofa, Hadley was glaring at him something fierce. I watched Mr. Cataliades set his briefcase on my table and pull out some papers.

"Miss Stackhouse, your request to add a 'no glamouring' clause to the contract has been granted I'll need you to sign this amended contract."

"Great!" I turned to the Queen "Thank you so much for accommodating me your majesty. I wasn't sure if you would be offended by my request."

She waved her hand dismissively "I understand that you would want to be in as much control of what transpires here, I intend to grant simple requests to ensure your comfort. I have no doubt that an unhappy telepath is weakened and untrustworthy, you would be no use to me in that state."

Of course it would only be for _her_ sake she would do this! Stop that Sookie! Yes she may only care about my welfare so I can be a tool for her but I'd be in a worse place if she didn't. We all signed the paperwork and I fished my question list out of my (now a little worn) envelope.

"I have some questions, if I may?" Sophie-Ann nodded "First, as you may have noticed, my wardrobe is in need of ... uh ... updating and there are some personal items I'd like to have, I was wondering if I could have an advance on my pay this month to make myself more ... decent."

Mr. Cataliades handed me an envelope, inside was a debit card with my name on "I was just about to speak to you about this Miss Stackhouse; we took the liberty of opening an account to pay your salary into."

"Your appearance will reflect on my status as a reasonable employer Sookie, I will arrange for a transfer of $1,000 into this account, it will be available by midnight." She took out a cell phone and went out of the room to make the call.

"Cool, another thing I was wondering is that I understand I'll need an escort if I leave the compound during the day, I met Frank today, he's real nice but what if he's not available?"

Bill stood up as Sophie-Ann re-entered the room "He will always be available to you Sookie; he's been assigned as your personal guide and escort during the daytime as I have been assigned to you at night."

"Great! Last thing was I'd like to be able to drive, for when I get to go back to my hometown so I do not have to rely on my Gran or Brother to take me places." They all looked at each other like I had just told a bad joke "I know I have to stick to guards and drivers here but in Bon Temps I'd like to have a little independence."

"Of course, I'm sure Bill and Frank will help you with some driving tuition and make arrangements with the DMV for you to take a test and acquire a license. Is that all?"

"For now your Majesty, but I was hoping I could meet with you and Mr. Cataliades in private some time? Just to make sure we're all working together, on the same page."

The lawyer and the Queen were already about to walk out of the door but Sophie-Ann turned back and nodded, saying she would be in touch when it could be arranged. It's not that I didn't feel safe there, I just got the feeling that I couldn't assume a lot of things would be taken into consideration. I was under the impression that a vampire employer would be very different to a human one.

Bill informed me there was a group of staff waiting to be read in one of the public rooms and that we should get there soon as they were already an hour past their usual finishing time. I walked with him and Hadley back to the entrance foyer and down a corridor into a light, airy room filled with sofas, chairs surrounding a fountain. At the end of the room there were two wing-backed armchairs facing each other, Bill gestured to me to sit in one then went off to bring the first daytime employee over to me.

She was a short, blocky woman, with dark brown hair and stormy grey eyes, her name was Hannah. I asked her if she knew why I was here and she just grunted. I took that to mean 'yes' but couldn't really be sure. I leaned forward and tried to take her hand but she pulled back and sneered at me.

"I'm not going to hurt you Hannah. I just need to hold your hand for a moment." Bill and Hadley came to stand either side of me and glared at Hannah. She reluctantly held out her hand to me and I took it gently, dropping my shields.

I was immediately hit by the thoughts of everyone in the room. There were too many, it was too much, they were all so loud! I let go of Hannah and fell to the floor clutching my head. I tried to bring my shields back up but my head hurt so much. If I could just concentrate enough. I screamed and opened my eyes, Hadley had Hannah by the throat and Bill looked frantic.

"Had ... ARRRGH ... Hadley no!" it hurt so much, it hadn't been this bad since I was at school. "Out, get me out of here!"

Bill grabbed me and he and Hadley had me back in my room in less than 30 seconds. I was placed on the bed where I immediately curled in a ball sobbing. I heard Bill's deep tones talking to my cousin

"She's going to break down, she's in pain, I'll give her my blood."

"WHAT! No Bill, she's not physically harmed" I could hear anger in her voice "she'll be fine in a minute. She came home from her first day at kindergarten like this." Hadley came over and curled up behind me on the bed, spooning into me and rocking me back and forth "Shhhhh... its okay Sook, come back, your gonna be fine."

Feeling Hadley's blank mind, I concentrated on the quiet, the wonderful quiet. After five minutes I calmed down and stopped crying. I patted Hadley's hand and sat up. Bill was looking very pale, pale even for a dead guy. I went to the bathroom and washed my face, when I came back out they were sitting on the bed facing the bathroom door.

"Thank you Hadley, I feel better now. There were too many people; I'm not used to opening my mind with so many brains being active. I'll need to work on that."

Bill stood and nodded at me, he said he had to report this to the Queen. I felt a little scared.

"I'll get better! I promise! I just need to ease myself into things." He told us he'd be back soon and walked out the door. I flopped on the sofa "Did I mess up Hadley?"

"No Sook, I told Sophie-Ann that you might take a while because you'd never used your telepathy on purpose before, she'll understand."

"So what's with you two anyway? You seem real close. Frank called you her handmaiden but I don't really know what that is."

"Well, I run errands for her, help her dress and do her hair and make-up. She's my maker, the one who turned me into a vampire, we're also lovers." She looked sad when she said that

"Oh! I didn't ... well you had boys all over you in Bon Temps ... I ..."

"It's okay Sooks, let's just say Sophie-Ann made me aware of what I was missing!" she winked at me and we giggled

"Why did you get so angry at Bill wanting to give me blood? Not that I would have taken it but he seemed real concerned for me. Goodness knows why."

"Bill isn't fond of humans, he doesn't interact with them really unless their donors, he was so pissed off about being your guide here but when he came to report to the Queen after you'd gone to bed he was like a different vampire."

"How so?"

"He wanted to know all about you, he's obviously interested in you."

"He asked if he could taste me last night, when I said no he tried to glamour me." Hadley laughed and slapped her thigh

"So that's what the 'no glamour' clause is all about. That sneaky fuck! I was wondering why Sophie-Ann made him feed from a guy tonight! Before the great reveal, vampires often kept pets to help them assimilate. Giving blood to a human lets us feel their emotions; it also lets us have some control over them."

"That's horrible!"

"Not really. It kept us under the radar. Vampire blood isn't all that bad; it heals like nothing else on earth and makes you hornier than hell!"

"So you stopped him so he wouldn't be able to feel me or control me? Why would he want to do that?"

"I told you, he's interested in you. Around humans he's a social retard, giving you his blood is his way of trying to get to know you. He's been around vampires so long that he doesn't know any better."

"That's kind of sad. Why aren't you like that?"

"I was turned after the great reveal, my life as a vampire will be very different from Bill's. I don't have to hide for a start, and as long as I feed I can spend time with humans no problem. I recently moved into my own apartment, the Queen thinks I'm making faster progress as a vampire now than I would have if I was turned as little as ten years ago."

Just then Bill came back in, he said that the Queen was a little annoyed but understood. I looked at him; he did seem friendlier since I was first introduced to him. I was glad I talked to Hadley about it, he may have asked to taste me and tried to glamour me and get his blood in me but that was just the vampire way. I couldn't judge him on the same merits I would judge a human because he wasn't one, I'm sure once I laid out some ground rules and he realised I wasn't a meal we could even be friends!

I checked the time it was 1am. I asked Hadley if there were a lot of stores open at this time of night, I could always find a 24 hour Wal-Mart but I didn't want to buy cheap clothes to work here when everyone was always so well dressed. I was a little put out when she laughed at me and said something about New Orleans being the vampire capital of the USA.

"Could we go shopping? The money the Queen gave me should be accessible now and I'd like to wear something other than Jeans and sweats to work here."

"No problem Cuz, I know a few stores. I take it you're wanting business wear?"

"Mostly but I would like a couple of dresses just in case, and I'd like to buy some toiletries and food too."

"Let's go then!"

We took Bill's car, Hadley told him to head for Lakeshore, there wasn't a great deal of traffic so it didn't take long. The mall was huge, but didn't have many customers at this time. I felt a little out of sorts, it was so big and practically empty, too much space. I sat on a bench and took some deep breaths, I had to get used to being outside some time. Hadley seemed to guess what the problem was and grabbed me saying that we'd get this done quick.

I was dragged into Dillard's where they had a sale on; I managed to find some great deals. Two pant suits, a cocktail dress, three pairs of better fitting jeans with t-shirts, heels, flats and sneakers and $600 later, we were on our way to Wal-Mart. Bill and Hadley were _not_ impressed with that choice, but I bought some nice shampoo and conditioner, razors and shower gel, body lotion, make-up, a new hair brush and some clips and elastics and a selection of basic and snack foods. Out of the $1000 I still had some left in case of an emergency. It was 4am when we got back to the compound; I was exhausted and barely made it back to my apartment. Laden with bags, I forced myself to stay awake long enough to put the chilled items in my little refrigerator and change into my sleep clothes before collapsing onto the bed.

OoOoO

I didn't wake up until two in the afternoon the next day, I made some toast and some instant coffee then went for a pampering shower. I scrubbed, soaped and shaved then slathered on my new lotion, it felt wonderful. I dressed in a new shirt and some dark wash jeans that hugged my hips and thighs and left my hair to dry naturally while I put some light make-up on. I felt like a new woman! I decided to go into the gardens again so I called Frank and waited on him. Ten minutes later he knocked on my door

"Hey..." he stared at me, starting at my hair and going down to my feet "Sookie, you look great!"

"Uh ... thanks Frank. I feel great!"

"Yesterday you looked kinda tired."

"I was, but today I feel awake. Let's go outside."

We actually walked around the garden this time, I told Frank about what had happened the night before. He suggested letting the people into the room in a gradual way, instead of having 20 people all at once I could start out with 3 or 4 then have more people come in over the course of an hour or so until all 20 were in with me. It sounded like a great idea, probably my best option. Frank said the day staff had been asked to stay behind again tonight, I hoped it would work; I didn't want to keep them from their personal lives.

We sat down on the same bench as the day before and swapped stories about our families, I told him a little about my "stay" at Valmont, he told me about being a were-cheetah. It was nice, sharing and getting to know one another, I'd never had that before but I'd read about it and seen it people's heads. We talked about why I was there and about my telepathy

"Y'know telepaths are pretty rare, it's not a surprise the Queen found one in a mental hospital but it _is_ surprising that you weren't driven mad by hearing everyone."

"I almost was, if I hadn't learned how to block people out I'd be in a straightjacket."

"So instead of controlling the reading you now have to learn how to work your blocking so you can 'hear' certain people in a crowded room?"

"I want to get in control of my telepathy and my shields. Not just so I can read or block people easier, not even so I can get to go back to Bon Temps. Being a telepath is what I do now, and I really want to be good at what I do, like a high-priced lawyer or an NFL player."

"That's great! It means you want to be better for you and no-one else, some people never think that and live their lives at other peoples standards – not their own."

"I know that we kinda just met, but I feel you're such a supportive person. You and Hadley and Bill, I've got a nice little network forming here. We're gonna be good friends Frank!"

"I certainly hope so Sookie." He looked at me, I knew that look, it was the 'I want to kiss you' look that you always see in romantic movies. I realised I wanted him to kiss me, too much, too soon. I jumped up from the bench

"Well, I should let my mind relax a little before tonight!"

"Okay Sookie, whatever you want." He smiled but looked a teeny, tiny bit disappointed.

I figured a rest would be good, I didn't want to tire out my brain since I was going to be using it later on. Frank walked me back to my room and we shared a rather uncomfortable hug before I went inside. I called down for dinner, Paul delivered some poached salmon with mashed potatoes and asparagus, I'm so spoiled! I took out one of my suits and hung it on the back of the bathroom door, ready to throw on when the vampires came, before lying down on the bed and closing my eyes. I had just started to drift into that zone between being awake and sleeping when my phone rang

"Hello Sookie Stackhouse speaking"

_Sookie darling_

"Gran! How are you? How's Jason?"

_We're fine sugah. How are you?_

"I'm great! You should see my room here. I have my own bathroom!"

_That's wonderful. How are they treating you?_

"They're treating me very well, the Qu ... Sophie-Ann gave me an advance on my salary so I could buy some things so I went shopping with Hadley last night. It was scary being outside and all but kinda fun spending money."

_Good for you, getting out and about! Do you think you'll be ready to come for a visit soon?_

"Hopefully in a couple of weeks, I got some training to do but I'm sure looking forward to seeing you guys again!"

_We can't wait to have you home Sooks. You take care honey._

"You too Gran. I miss you. Bye."

_We miss you too sweetie, bye bye._

I had to train myself; maybe I could have some humans to train on during the day with Frank? I'd have to ask Bill if that was possible. If they want me to work to the best of my abilities they have to give me time and resources to better myself, it's in everyone's best interests. I thought about what I'd said to Frank earlier, I _did_ want to be really good at my job, what was the point of Sophie-Ann dragging my ass out of Valmont if I didn't try to be the best damn telepath out there.

_A/N: As always, feedback is appreciated but not necessary. I don't mind if people don't have anything to say :o)_


	4. Learn to Fly

Sookie, Interrupted - Chapter 4 – Learn To Fly

Over the next few days I used Frank's 'gradual introduction' theory. I started with 2 or 3 people in the room and as one was escorted out, two were brought in. It worked well, the first time I got up to 8 people before my shields got strained but by day three I was up to having 15 people in a room and still able to concentrate enough to read a single mind. Now, rather than my shield being a solid wall, it was more like being inside a house. When the doors were closed I couldn't hear anyone but all I had to do was open the door that whoever I wanted to read was on the other side of.

The day staff were easy, very few problems and any issues I found were written down and passed to Sophie-Ann. The worst problem I found was that Leo, who took in deliveries and seen to inventory, was ordering extra food and drinks but taking the extra home with him so he didn't have to buy groceries. It wasn't that he wasn't paid enough here, the wages were very satisfactory, he was greedy like so many people and his greed lost him his job. I got the feeling he had been roughed up a little too, but couldn't confirm anything, but I guessed you don't steal from vampires without them teaching you a lesson. Why on earth would you want to piss off supernatural beings that could snap you like a twig?

With the daytime compound staff dealt with I moved on to delivery staff and then I would read the in house donors. I wasn't looking forward to that. Frank was always with me when I done day readings. I liked that, he made me feel at ease, we spent our free time chatting and getting to know one another. Even though I was mostly keeping vampire hours, I was still waking up around 2pm every day. The staff had their own dining area and I would meet Frank everyday for a late lunch and we'd discuss what I would be doing before the vampires woke up.

My nights were spent mostly with Bill, sometimes Hadley dropped by to see me when Sophie-Ann gave her leave from her duties. Since I was doing so well with my work there wasn't much of a rush, last night Bill and I had mostly talked. There wasn't the same connection I had with Frank, sometimes Bill was uneasy with questions I was asking and he still seemed a little cold but there were glimpses of a very dry sense of humour and despite our rocky beginning, I felt safe with him.

Tonight the vampires who lived in the compound were asked to bring their pets for me to read, I didn't much like the thought of humans being kept as pets but I know what side my bread is buttered and was glad that I was an employee who worked for a fair pay, not a walking meal that relied on a 'master' to take care of me.

I had just put the finishing touches to my make-up when Bill came for me. He smiled at me as I locked my door and leaned in to sniff me, I found that quite disturbing the first time it happened but Hadley explained that scent is very important for Supes (I'm eventually catching on to the lingo too!).

"Good evening Sookie. How are you?"

"I'm good Bill, just tomorrows delivery from the Trueblood distributor, the donors and I'm all caught up. It'll be a relief when I only have to make sure new humans to the compound are on the level."

"Yes, I imagine it will be. Don't worry; I'm sure the Queen won't leave you idle."

"I'm not worried, I know when I'm done here I'll be sent to other areas in her domain."

"About that. Would you be amenable to having my company when you make those trips?"

"Of course! I had assumed you would be coming with me anyway."

"It would be ... more pleasant if I knew you wanted me to be there."

"You're my guide Bill! I'm sure you _and_ Frank will be there!"

"Yes, Frank, of course."

His smile died away and he got all professional. I wondered if he and Frank had some history, although Bill had been fine with Frank when I first got here. Probably none of my beeswax. We got to the Queen's dayroom and there were about 10 vampires but only 5 pets. Bill had informed me that the need for pets was lessening with the advent of synthetic blood and registered donors but some older vampires liked them as a status symbol. Apparently a well behaved and well kept pet reflected on their ability to be in a position of power. All of the pets were sat at their master's feet, smiling and mentally comparing each other's outfits. Only one of them was male, I decided to read him first; his Mistress was Melanie a very petite vampiress who I'd only seen briefly. I went to my 'reading table' as I called it and got myself comfortable before I asked him to come forward.

"Hi, I'm Sookie what's your name?"

"Uh ... My Mistress calls me Szentember."

"Okay Szentember, do you know what I do?"

"You read minds."

I could see he didn't really believe it but I started my questioning, all the time smiling at him to keep him at ease and making notes if need be. Nothing serious, although he was concerned about a donor that Melanie has used often, he felt like she was looking to replace him. Loyalty doesn't breed in people who feel expendable and he knew far too much about Melanie and the other New Orleans vampires to let go. The next two girls, Amber and Mara, were fine; they didn't like me but thoughts like that were water off a ducks back to me. They were happy, devoted and knew their place. Next up was Lucrezia

"Let's get this over with shall we."

Wow, bitch much. Bill, Hadley, Pierre (Lucrezia's Master) and even the Queen hissed. I could see in Lucrezia's mind that she was intending on sleeping her way to the top. She had left a younger vampire for Pierre and planned on leaving him for a more powerful vampire as soon as one caught her attention. She was sure she would be concubine to a king in five years.

"Do you really think they'll stand for that Lucrezia? Your current master has done well by you and you betray him with your intentions."

"You don't know anything about me Cookie so whatever parlour tricks you've got going on here can stop right now."

"Parlour tricks? You know usually I write things down so I don't embarrass anyone but you obviously need a demonstration" Pierre and the other vampires came closer, fangs down, I shuddered with discomfort "You left your last master because Pierre was a better prospect but you plan on continuing that avenue, as soon as a more powerful vampire shows any interest you will leave Pierre. You have no loyalty to him; you're just using him and think that trying to blind him with your sexual talents will prevent you from being found out. For the Record my name is Sookie."

She moved to grab my hair with her too long fake nails but Pierre grabbed her instead, pinning her arms to her sides. The Queen looked at Pierre, there would be no getting out of this one for Lucrezia, vampire's expected their pets to stay loyal to them and treated them well to ensure this. Lucrezia had been treated better than all of the other pets here tonight and it wasn't enough for her. Pierre snarled and nudged her head to the side

"In three nights you will know what loyalty is, I am going to turn you and you will serve me as my child unable to go against my word and unable to seek a new master."

It seemed harsh, it _was_ harsh but once again it demonstrated that under no circumstances do you piss off vampires. The last pet was Robyn, she belonged to Waldo who was one of the Queens' children, he had pruney skin like he'd been in a bath for too long. Robyn feared his appearance and his quick temper but wanted to please him more than anything.

"Hi Robyn. Are you ready?"

"Yes, I have nothing to hide."

She really didn't, but I noticed her eyes being drawn to Hadley throughout our chat. I kept holding her hand after I had finished and listened as her mind wandered.

_I'm sure she is the one the Queen cast him aside for, she is nothing, she will deserve his revenge!_

Not. Good. I looked to Waldo and nodded that I was done. Waldo excused her and I turned to face the vampires. Sophie-Ann smiled warmly

"You did very well tonight Sookie, are you tired?"

"A little but not too much."

"Good, I want to introduce you to Andre, he is my child and my second and obviously you have briefly met Waldo" she indicated two very large, very identical vampires behind her "This is Siegebert and Wybert, also my children. They, along with Hadley and Bill, are very important in my court. I expect you to take any instructions from them as you would if I had given them."

"Of course your majesty."

"Good, well Andre and I have business, you may talk amongst yourselves until we return."

We all nodded at the Queen and Andre. Hadley came beside me and beckoned Waldo to join her.

"Sook, you know I've been looking into my family tree?" I nodded "Well I think I might be related to Marie Leveau, the voodoo queen, on my Dad's side. Waldo here told me about a ritual, where the blood of the dead can raise the dead. I've asked him to come to Saint Louis Cemetery #1 to help me."

"Wow Hadley, that's some pretty cool stuff!" How could I stop this? She couldn't trust him, not after what I heard from Robyn's mind "Could I come too? Oh! I'm sure that's something Bill would like to see too right?"

I looked pleadingly at Bill; he caught on quick and told her he'd be very interested in seeing that. Waldo's nostrils flared in anger but he didn't say anything except he would wait in another room until the Queen was back. Obviously he had planned something for that cemetery trip that he didn't want anyone else to see. Hadley opened her mouth to say something else but Bill shot her a look

"I'm sure we can make further plans when we take Sookie back to her room."

"Yes Bill!" He catches on quick "that's a great idea!"

Hadley shrugged and we sat around making small talk about my readings for a while before Sophie-Ann and Andre returned; Waldo came back in seconds after them. We congregated around her desk, well the vampires did, I just followed. I figured if I done something out of line Bill would stop me and put me right. The Queen looked at me

"Sookie, I have arranged a private meeting with Mr. Cataliades for first dark tomorrow."

"Thank you your majesty, I very much appreciate that."

"Also one of my Sherriff's has had a problem with his daytime assistant, it has been resolved but I have requested that all of my Sherriff's bring their DA's to the next meeting here in three days for you to read. There should only be 3 humans, do you think you can finish up with the in house donors before then?"

"I will ensure I have a clear schedule for this project."

I bowed from my neck in deference the way Bill taught me and the Queen was obviously pleased. We were excused and Bill and Hadley walked back to my room with me. I opened the door and ushered them inside before making a coffee and offering them a Trueblood. They didn't need it but I asked to have some in my room just in case, it's nice to have something to offer a guest. Hadley raised an eyebrow at me and took a sidelong look at Bill

"So cuz, you want to tell me what gave you a sudden interest in dark voodoo rituals?"

"It's not that" I sighed and rubbed my hands over my face "I heard something from Waldos pet. He's not a happy bunny that you took his place as the Queens favourite."

"Tell me something I don't know!"

"He plans to take revenge; I don't think you should go anywhere alone with him. Especially not a cemetery. I know I couldn't stop him from doing anything, that's why I roped Bill into things."

"Well I knew something was not right from the way you looked at me Sookie, I can't believe Waldo would plan to harm Hadley but I believe you are right to be cautious."

Hadley promised us she wouldn't go anywhere alone with Waldo and she told us all about the ritual she planned to perform. There was no guarantee it would work but if Hadley thought it would help her find her roots then who was I to prevent her trying? Tomorrow was the last Friday in the month – that meant we get paid! I wondered if Frank had anything planned or whether I could get him to take me shopping? I slid into bed excited about my very first payday.

OoOoO

I was showered and dressed within 30 minutes of waking, making sure I had my bank card in my wallet before I went down for something to eat. As expected Frank was waiting for me at the table with a cup of coffee. He gave me that big smile I'd gotten so used to and stood to pull out my chair.

"Hey Sook, you look ready to take on the world!"

"Thanks! You look great today too!" I sat and watched as he piled my plate with scrambled eggs, bacon and toast "Do I have any readings today other than the blood guy?"

"Not scheduled and he doesn't get here until between 6 and 7pm so the afternoon is pretty much free, why?"

"Could you take me shopping? I got paid today!"

He laughed at my enthusiasm and put my plate and coffee in front of me before sitting down to finish his own drink. I explained that I'd had an advance but should still have almost $2000 in my account. Hadley had been telling me all about e-mail, it was like posting a letter but on the computer, I thought that was amazing! All of the technological advances that had been made since I was taken to Valmont were mind-boggling but I was determined to get used to things. I figured I could get a laptop today and maybe some clothes, next month I could get a cell phone. It was all just so exciting!

I practically inhaled my meal and ran out, dragging Frank behind me. I realised soon enough that I didn't know which car Frank drove and stopped to find him smiling at me with his deep blue eyes twinkling with amusement. He unlocked a fairly new Toyota Corolla and held the passenger door open for me. I was bouncing in my seat all the way to Best Buy, Frank told me that he knew a little about techy stuff and he'd make sure I didn't get conned by the staff.

"So Sook, what do you want to use the laptop for?"

"Umm ... mostly internet and e-mail. Ooh! Look at that red one! I like that one!"

"It's pretty powerful, but it would suit your needs and then some. Since you don't need to store a lot of data or play games with complicated graphics it would probably be more advanced than you need."

"But, it's red. I like red."

Frank laughed and shook his head. Who needed technical advice when the colour mattered more? I cringed internally at how silly it makes me look. Frank made me look around a little more, pointing out other less powerful laptops but I was stuck on the cherry red Dell. Frank relented and got a member of staff to tell them we'd take one, he also told me that the compound had a wireless network so I wouldn't need any other cables to get access to the internet. Apparently Bill was the IT geek at the Queens residence and he'd set up my laptop with all the access codes I needed. After I had my gadget for the month and a hard-case lockable file box, Frank took me back to Dillards to buy some more clothes. I picked out some more business wear; I wanted to look as professional as possible – especially with the Sherriff's assistants. No doubt they would be dressed to impress so I should too!

Frank offered to carry my bags so I treated him to an ice-cream. We sat on one of the benches and slurped at our waffle cones, I told him about my purchase list and he laughed again. Every time he did that I wasn't annoyed because I knew he wasn't laughing at me but that he just found my little ways funny.

"Could I try something with you Frank?"

"Sure, what do you want to do?"

"I want to try and read you. Could you try to think _at_ me?"

"I'll try" he shrugged and I took his hand in mine.

_She's so pretty, everything is new with Sookie. What should I think? How do I do this? What should I say?_

"I think you've said enough."

There was an uncomfortable silence then I started eating my ice-cream again. Just as he lifted his cone to his lips, a football hit him in the back of the head and his ice-cream went all over his face!

I turned to see a group of terrified teenage boys staring at us

"Geez ... uh ... we're sorry man. Cole was meant to catch that, we didn't mean any harm. Are you okay Mister?"

Frank wiped his face with a napkin and turned round and smiled at them "It's cool, don't sweat it."

A security guard ran towards them and they scattered. I looked at Frank and his sticky chin

"You missed a spot! Here I'll get it" I lifted a napkin and wiped at a glob of the dessert next to his mouth. Frank held my hand to his face and leaned into me, placing his lips on mine. I gasped a little and found his tongue in my mouth. The first thing I thought was 'Mmm strawberry', the second thing I thought was 'Oh my God! My first **real** kiss', then I realised we were in a public place and pulled back a little embarrassed.

"I think ... uh ... we should be getting back Frank. The delivery guy and everything."

"Yeah. Sure Sook, work to do and all that."

He looked so dejected; I didn't want him to feel like I didn't want him. I took his hand again and looked into his eyes.

"Frank. Thank you. It's been a wonderful afternoon. I would like if we could have another afternoon like this again. Sometime soon?"

He brightened and we drove back to the compound shooting stupid grins at each other.

_A/N: Reviews are appreciated but not necessary, thank you to anyone and everyone who leaves me a little feedback_


	5. For All the Cows

Sookie, Interrupted - Chapter 5 – For All the Cows

Things between me and Frank were pretty tense, not in a bad way of course, but you could almost feel the desire for closeness rolling from both of us. I wanted to make an early start on the donors, they were usually up and around not long after I was, making a good dent in the numbers before my meeting with the Queen and Mr. Cataliades was the plan but you never know how these things are going to turn out. I had my usual 'breakfast' with Frank; we kept finding ways to touch each other. A pat on the arm here, leaning in to each other when we talked, knees touching under the table. When we were done eating and decided to head to the donor quarters Frank brought his hand up to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear and we heard someone clear their throat. Miriam. She frowned at us and tutted before walking away.

"I guess she's not a big fan of employees being friendly with each other."

"Don't worry Sook, we'll work it out."

I nodded and we walked side by side, my upper arm brushing against his elbow. The donor quarters were in the same wing as mine but a floor below. It took up the whole floor; there were something like 18 or 20 donors living here. Before they signed a contract they had to clear a test for Sino-AIDS and any other blood diseases, they had to be retested every 6 months to ensure they would not pass anything onto the vampires. When you think about it, if you want to have your blood sucked and a lot of sex at the same time it was a sweet deal. I had asked Bill many questions about them. They were always referred to as donors in the Queens court but many Kings apparently kept them in a brothel setting and dubbed them blood whores. A rose by any other name.

The Queens donor accommodation was nothing like a brothel, they had a large social area with couches, a TV, music centre and a kitchen a bit larger than mine but it was not used to entice the vampires to pick a particular girl, this was for relaxation only. The donors were usually well dressed, scattered around the public rooms and socialised rather than lounging in tiny clothes waiting to be picked. All the girls had their own rooms which they were allowed to decorate in their own taste (I was allowed to do this too but hadn't gotten round to it).

Bill had asked them all to be present in the social area before he rested this morning so I was surprised to notice that only 6 girls were sitting watching TV when I and Frank arrived. They turned to look at us but only one girl got up to greet us.

"Hi I'm Sadie." Sadie wasn't her real name

"Hey Sadie, I'm Sookie, this is Frank. You guys know why I'm here?"

One of the other girls sneered at me "Yeah you're here to sneak the secrets right out of our heads."

"Oh no! It's not like that. Have you spoken to Collette?"

"No she wouldn't talk about what you done to her. Said it was so freaky that her usual Vamp has been treating her differently."

"Bill? How do you mean differently?"

"He's been nice to her, more gentle, not taking as much blood and properly healing her marks." Sadie seemed confused so she asked why that was a bad thing. No-one really had an answer for that.

"I don't steal secrets from people's heads. I do read minds but I'll be asking specific questions to find out whether any of the girls is a threat to the security of the compound." Sneery girl, Tia, looked at me; she was thinking why any of this was her business "You see if anyone is a spy for the Fellowship or another organisation out to destroy vampires, they won't stop with the vampires. Several registered donors have been found dead and the Queen suspects the Fellowship are behind it."

Yeah, that got their attention. The girls split up and started knocking on doors muttering through the keyholes and generally rounding up the troops. Soon there were 18 girls bright and eager to answer my questions.

"Is there anyone missing?" Frank wanted to make sure we had everyone. He had their employee files with photos attached so we could more easily establish who I had read and who I hadn't. I picked up the top file and called out her name. I managed to get through 6 girls before the sky went pink. Maybe I would get lucky and be able to read some more after my meeting.

OoOoO

I had just finished eating when Bill came for me. He was obviously not impressed with the food scents wafting around my apartment judging by the way his nose was twitching. I locked my door and walked with him to the Queens chambers. He was still twitching his nose and it was starting to annoy me. He also had barely spoken two words to me in the course of our journey and that annoyed me too.

"Bill. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Sookie."

"Bullshit, your nose is twitching like Samantha Stephens!"

"Who?"

"You know. From bewitched."

"I don't believe I'm familiar with whatever bewitched is."

"Argh! It was a TV program, a classic! Never mind, what's with the nose?"

"You have been close to Frank today."

"You ... uh ... can smell that?" he nodded grimly "Oh. Well yes, we work side by side during the day."

"I see."

"Does that bother you?"

"More than I thought it would. You have a way about you Sookie, you accept everyone as a person, _who _they are not _what_ they are. It's very appealing."

I smiled awkwardly, was he telling me that he liked me? Liked me in more than a friend/guide way? I figured there was no point making more out of it unless he came right out and said 'Sookie I would like us to be more than friends' or unless he tried to kiss me or something. That subject is a sleeping bear I don't want to poke. Bill left me outside the Queens chambers and went off to get something to eat. He told me that I should wait until the light goes green and then enter.

Green for go! It's now or never Sookie. I opened the door to find Sophie-Ann and Mr. Cataliades lounging on two sofas. I shuffled nervously towards them, Sophie-Ann smiled warmly, that put me at ease. I was worried she'd be pissed off about me asking for this, either that or she was way too good at hiding her emotions. I sat down and smiled at both of them, Sophie-Ann motioned for me to state my business.

"First of all, thank you again for seeing me, both of you." They both nodded and assured me it was no problem "Well I'd like to begin by saying that I really love working here, you've given me such a great opportunity within your court and I will always be very grateful for that. The contract is amazing with all the clauses to protect me but I'm wondering how much a contract will actually prevent anything bad happening."

"Sookie." She was being Sophie-Ann right now, not Queen of Louisiana "I think I understand you. You may have a clause in your contract that you do not wish to be fed from without your explicit agreement but realise that a vampire could take you and feed from you anyway."

"Yes Ma'am. Also, even though I have resisted glamour, who's to say it won't work another time." I felt a tickle on my brain, like someone taking a feather to my frontal lobe; it was not nice at all.

"Well you just resisted my glamour; the only one who can glamour better than me is The Northman. I would say that you don't have to worry about that. About the feeding problem, any vampire who feeds from you without your consent would make my contract with you void – they would potentially lose me my telepath. Do you think I would accept that considering the amount of time and effort I've put into procuring you?"

"Well, you managed this long without me."

"Oh Sookie, you underestimate your charms! You are the talk of the compound, and despite a few negative comments, most of the chit chat is about how much respect people have for you talent."

"Really? Wow, Bill did mention I had a way about me."

"Indeed and I would not accept any vampire in my court, living or visiting, to put at risk the agreements we have come to. Feeding from an unwilling human is a dangerous game now that we are out in the public eye, punishment would be harsh."

"I think I may have a solution, if I may?" The rotund lawyer spoke up "We could find a witch to ward your room so all visitors have to be invited inside any time the visit with you. Also we could provide you with an alarm that could be easily accessed if you were accosted while anywhere else in the compound."

"Those are wonderful ideas! What do you think Sookie?"

"That _would_ make me feel a whole lot safer! Thank you Mr. Cataliades."

"Was there anything else you wanted to ask me Sookie?"

"Actually no your majesty. I should get back to reading the donors if I want to finish them up tomorrow night. Thank you again for your time."

I nodded at both of them and they nodded back, Bill was waiting for me outside the room. We went back to the donor quarters and I managed to read another 4 available girls before sunrise.

OoOoO

Reading the donors was very tiring, some had been glamoured too often, some were just more intent on getting laid than answering questions and a couple were a little too vocal about how I thought I was better than them. The truth was I didn't think I was better than them; we were much the same really. We all made money from our talents, it's just that mine wasn't of best use in a bed. I finished up with them pretty early, 11pm so I had the rest of the night to relax and gear myself for reading the Sheriffs DA's tomorrow night.

Bill had told me that the Sherriff's were coming tonight so they could be ready to meet at first dark and the DA's were driving to New Orleans during the daytime. There was supposed to be some kind of social event going on tonight to welcome them, Bill asked me if I wanted to go but I knew any other humans there would be donors so I declined.

I decided to have a relaxing bath, I spent well over 30 minutes in the tub and was scrubbed to a pink glow and smelling wonderful. Robe wrapped tightly, cookies opened, offensive late-night chat show on. Check out Sookie with the 'me' time. Oh yeah!

Just as the red neck momma accused her red neck son of using her bottle of moonshine to set her pick-up alight there was a light rapping at the door. Never knowing who could turn up, I put the chain on, not that it would stop a vampire but it made me feel like I was being proactive with my safety. It was Hadley, she looked kind of down.

"Come in Had, what's up?"

"I was lonely. I'm still a young vampire so I don't get spoken to a whole lot at functions and stuff. All the older vamps get together and laugh about the shit they got up to 'back in the day' or well night or whatever."

"Oh Had, that's a shame. You could stay here and watch TV with me if you want."

"Actually I was hoping you would doll yourself up and come down to dance with me."

"Oh. Well I didn't want to go because I'd be the only human non-donor there, that's just asking for trouble. I'll tell you what. You keep the vamps off my veins and I'll dance with you until sunrise."

"Deal!" we done our old secret handshake from when we were kids. I was surprised she still remembered it. I went back into the bathroom and slapped some make-up on while Hadley picked out my cocktail dress from the wardrobe. The dress felt short considering I spent most of my time in pants or jeans but it hugged my figure nicely. It was red satin with black chiffon flaring out from under the bust; the chiffon had black sequins dotted over it which made it look like I was moving more than I actually was. A pair of modestly heeled black pumps and I was set.

Hadley and I walked arm in arm the whole way there, giggling like we were going to the prom. Just as we got to the doors my heart rate increased and my palms got sweaty. What if something happened? Hadley turned to look at me and grabbed my face in both her hands.

"Sookie, this will be fine. Stick close to me, Bill is there if you need someone else and of course the Queen will not stand for you to be harmed so any harassment you tell one of us right away, understand?"

I nodded, closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I didn't open my eyes again until we were through the door. A few people turned to look at us but not many. Surprisingly the music was fairly modern, Hadley led me to a bar area where I didn't have a clue what to order. Had said she used to drink gin and tonic when she was human so I decided to give one a try. One sip, it was quite nice, it was the first time I'd had anything stronger than beer or wine so I decided to take it very easy.

"Sookie! Sookie!"

I looked around to see who was calling for me and saw Sadie waving franticly, grinning and flushed, maybe she'd decided _not_ to take it easy. Sure enough on her way over she stumbled a little and had to grab a chair to steady herself. Had and me decided to close the distance to save her maybe having an embarrassing incident. I helped her into a chair and Hadley went to get her a glass of water. Sadie was occupied gushing about what a good time she was having, I dipped into her head and saw three orgasms why she was having a good time. Hadley came back, accompanied by Bill.

"Sookie, what a lovely surprise, you decided to join us after all. You look radiant."

"Thank you, you look very dapper yourself Bill. Uh ... I think Sadie should go and have a lie down, she's been ... um ... busy."

"I'll take her back to the quarters."

"Thanks Bill."

"Was she wasted cuz?"

"Not really, I think she was just a little euphoric. Dizzy from a rather pleasurable experience y'know."

"Huh? Oh sex! Well we've all been there right?"

My blank look made more of an impression than anything else I could have said at that moment.

"Sookie? You're still ... y'know ... I don't want to say anything out loud or you'll be _really _popular, _really_ quick."

I muttered that it was none of her business then one of my favourite songs came on. I remembered my Mom and Dad used to dance to this all the time; it brought back happy memories for me so I grabbed Hadley's hand and we got our groove on. We danced to another 5 songs, I noticed Bill was back so I mock-curtseyed to him and he smiled broadly. I realised that the couple of drinks I'd sipped on had made me a little flirty so I decided to dial it back a bit and sit down for a while. I was busy people ... vampire watching, Hadley was dancing with Bill and the Queen was sitting with her remaining children. A deep baritone voice interrupted my thoughts

"May I sit with you?"

I turned to see the most beautiful man I've ever seen. He was well over six feet tall, with long hair the same colour of blonde as mine and his eyes reminded me of all the sea in those commercials for the Caribbean. He was also a vampire.

"I guess so."

"I have been watching you, you are not a donor."

"No I'm not."

"You are close to ... Hadley. The Queens youngest child. Are you her pet?"

"No, I'm her cousin." I could see he was being polite, trying to work out why I was there without actually saying 'Why are you here?'. "I'm the Queens Telepath. Sookie Stackhouse and you are?"

"Eric Northman, I am one of the Queens Sheriffs."

Just then Hadley and Bill came over; Bill asked if Sherriff Northman was bothering me. I said 'no' but I can't be sure that further conversation with him would have made me uncomfortable. He was certainly intimidating but I didn't feel like I was in immediate danger with him. Eric was not amused by the insinuation that we were having anything other than a polite conversation so I made my excuses and asked Hadley to walk me back to my room.

"So cuz, what were you and the Viking talking about?"

"The Viking?"

"Sherriff Northman, he's over 1,000 years old and apparently was a Viking when he was human."

"Wow, well he just wanted to know who I was."

"Did he ask to feed from you?"

"No, he knew I wasn't a donor, he _did_ ask if I was your pet."

"Pet!" Hadley snorted "I don't think you could ever be _any_ vampires pet Sook!"

Well that was something I could definitely agree with. We parted ways at my door and I changed into my pyjamas. I wanted to be very well rested for my meeting with the DA's, I wanted to impress all of the visitors and do my best. I was happy, I got to see Frank again tomorrow but as I drifted off to sleep I found myself thinking of a blonde vampire rather than my handsome were.

OoOoO

I didn't sleep well at all, the alcohol in my system made my dreams more unusual and vivid than I'm used to. I dreamt I was dancing with Eric but there was somewhere I had to be, someone I had to be with, it reminded me of the scene in Labyrinth where Sarah is dancing with Jareth. I woke up feeling sweaty and thirsty; I dragged my carcass to the sink and drank glass after glass of cool water trying to wake up my brain. Note to self: do not drink gin the night before you have an important meeting. Maybe I'd feel better after something to eat. I threw on some clothes and went to meet Frank in the staff dining room.

"You look tired today Sook. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah Frank, there was a social for the Sheriffs last night and Hadley roped me into going along. I'm not used to drinking and the gin tasted nice."

Frank laughed and welcomed me to 'hangoverville' which didn't really improve my mood, but a plate full of greasy goodness did. There weren't any people for me to read, but Frank recommended I eat with the DA's in the evening to establish that I was on the same rung of the ladder as them. Apparently some DA's feel they're better than other humans that serve vampires and if I didn't socialise with them they might think that I'm either not as important as them or that I think I'm too good to spend time with them.

After spending so much time talking about my telepathy with Frank we came to the agreement that I should maintain an air of neutrality with anyone I read to try and prevent them thinking about me. Luckily I was a pretty good judge on how to act around different social groups without going into their minds. I had also spoken to Bill about this theory and he agreed whole (non-beating) heartedly. There were a few hours before the evening meal would be served so we decided to take a trip to the city park, it was a crisp, clear day, ideal for walking or sitting close or making out on park benches. After the 3rd dog walker cleared their throat and made a comment about horny kids we decided to get back to the compound.

We arrived at the same time as a very pretty, if a little uptight looking, woman. Miriam was just about to show her to her room when she spotted me and Frank giggling our way to the door. The look she threw at us made me feel like a 5 year old yawning in church, Frank coughed and wiped the smile off his face

"I'll see you at dinner Miss Stackhouse; enjoy the rest of your afternoon."

"Yes Mr. Parr, I'll see you soon."

We nodded to each other but Miriam was still sneering at us, what was her problem anyway? I went to my room and dug out my most feminine business suit before freshening up for our meal. Dinner was usually served at around 5.30pm and consisted of a hot buffet where everyone filled their plates and either took it back to their room or sat in the dining room but with our guests I wasn't sure if the meal would be split into courses and brought to the tables.

I arrived at 5.25pm and Miriam informed me that we would have a more formal setting for dinner, Frank was already seated with three humans and as I walked to the table he stood to introduce me

"Miss Stackhouse, this is Ms. Talbot, Mr. Burnham and Mr. Halliwell."

"It's very nice to meet all of you." I shook their hands, sat down and looked at the menu for the evening. I was glad Chef Dalton had decided to keep the selection fairly simple, it made it easier to hide my ignorance of fine dining. We talked of our choices, the weather, Ms. Talbot complemented my outfit and I returned it despite the fact she looked like she was going to a company CEO's funeral. We all seemed at ease with each other until Frank projected that Mr. Burnham kept 'checking out my rack', which made me a little uncomfortable. Small talk didn't last long and soon we turned to asking about each other's jobs. Ms. Talbot worked with the Sherriff in Baton Rouge, Mr. Burnham in Shreveport and Mr. Halliwell in Lake Charles, they were all very interested in my work but I managed to fob them off with some ambiguous answers regarding how the Queen came across my talents.

"My cousin recommended me; she is the Queens youngest child. She knew what I could do and suggested that it may be useful, the Queen agreed and brought me here to live and work."

"So where are you from?" Mr. Burnham seemed to be leading the questions about me "New Orleans?"

"No. I'm from a small town in North Louisiana – Bon Temps, have you heard of it?"

"I've seen it on maps of my Master's area but I've never been there or met anyone from there. Is it nice?"

"It's a typical small town, no large corporations, no mall, no nightlife except a redneck bar. I'm glad I was given this opportunity. So if I visited my Grandmother back there I would be in your area?"

"Yes, are you planning on doing that soon? Perhaps we could meet for coffee?" I swear I heard Frank growl, Ms. Talbot must have too because she stared at him oddly.

"I would like to go soon, as long as the Queen permits it, but I'm sure my first time back in a long while would be filled with reconnecting with my family and getting to know people again, I doubt I'd have time for coffee but I'll be sure to get in touch if I do."

Mr. Burnham smiled brightly and Frank nodded at me. Thankfully the meal was over and I excused myself to fetch my notepad and told them I would meet them in the day room. Frank followed me out and walked me to my room where we found Bill waiting for me

"I'll see you tomorrow Sookie" Frank gave me a peck on the cheek then looked at Bill as if to say 'look but don't touch'. I wasn't sure how I felt about that, but Bill wasn't happy. As soon as Frank was out of earshot he decided to let me know

"Sookie, are you and Frank ... together?"

"Well, we like each other a lot but we haven't really talked about it."

"I see. Do you have a physical relationship with him?"

"Now you just hold on there William Compton! That's none of your business!"

"I apologise Sookie, I can see I have offended you with my questions, I'm unused to the human females I converse with being unwilling to speak of these things. The donors speak of their physical relationships very freely."

"As you know Bill, I am _very _different from the donors. I do not talk about things like that!"

Bill smiled at me softly "Your sensibilities remind me so much of my wife when I was human, like yourself she was a lady and I will keep that in mind when I desire to know something about you."

I smiled back at him, I could think of only one reason he would want to know how close me and Frank were but until he made the first move I wasn't going to assume he wanted to be with me in a boyfriend/girlfriend way. Maybe if Bill had warmed up a little sooner it would be Frank I was having this discussion with. I think about how different things are for me here, before I was sent to Valmont boys wouldn't come near me but now I had two very handsome men growling over me, not to mention the appraising looks from Mr. Burnham, Andre and Sherriff Northman. Was it because they didn't have the knowledge of 'crazy Sookie'? It probably was, which reinforced my happiness in accepting Sophie-Ann's offer, I had a fresh start with everyone here.

We reached the day room where the DA's were waiting patiently, the Queen and her children and Sheriffs were talking amongst themselves. Sophie-Ann nodded at me to let me know I should just get started so I sat at my reading table with my notepad. Eager to impress I decided to read all three at the same time, I asked my questions and it just seemed like we were chatting about what I was asking and I was writing down their opinions. I took longer than usual as I had to separate their thoughts but it was very effective as I was getting information from their brains and from the four way discussion which gave the context of their thoughts clarity. When we were done I excused myself and the Queen took me into her office to speak privately about my findings.

"Well Sookie, how did we do?"

"No problems your majesty, Ms. Talbot – Lucy, is new and eager to build trust within her area. Mr. Burnham – Bobby, is very loyal and would rather lose a limb than speak to anyone in the Fellowship and Mr. Halliwell – Steven, thinks it would be beneficial for the DA's to meet once a month to report and share any instances of Fellowship activity."

"Very good Sookie, I understand you would like to visit your family. I am currently scheduling meetings with my business associates but the first isn't until Thursday. I believe you would handle a trip to Bon Temps without problems, I will arrange a driver to take you there tomorrow and here is the business address of the area Sherriff. You will have to check in with him to ensure you are adequately protected."

"Thank you your majesty! This means a lot to me! I'm going to call Gran and let her know right away!"

"I could see that my Sheriffs were impressed with you Sookie, and you've been working hard since you got here, a few days break will help clear your mind for the larger scale jobs I have planned."

"Thank you again, may I be excused?"

Sophie-Ann nodded and I tried not to run back to my room but I couldn't wait to let Gran know I'd be back in Bon Temps in less than 24 hours!


	6. The Pretender

Sookie, Interrupted – Chapter 6 – The Pretender

I had to get so many stories straight with different people I felt like I was covering up a major crime. Before I could go home we had to establish what everyone in the town had been told about my sudden leaving. Other than Gran and Jason no-one else knew I had been sent to Valmont, my parents' friends and neighbours were told I had gone to live on a working farm for teenagers with behavioural problems. I guess telling people your daughter was an unruly bitch on wheels was better than admitting you had her locked up in the Looney bin.

So we wouldn't have to explain my sudden reintroduction to society, which was good. There were conflicting stories about what I had been doing, whenever any of the townsfolk asked about me Gran would tell them I was furthering my education but Jason said I was a waitress, not too much of a stretch to tell people I had worked while at college. As to what I was doing now, well apparently at college I got an MBA and now I work in personnel for a prominent New Orleans business woman, if that's what Bill told me I was to tell people that's what I'll do, I just hope no-one asks to see any certificates or wants me to prove my business skills!

I packed enough clothes to last for the couple of days I'd be gone, casual for the day and my dress just in case. I also remembered to take my debit card in the event I needed to buy some books to keep me occupied, I doubt anyone else in Bon Temps will be keeping vampire hours and I don't want to upset my routines too much.

It was agreed that a driver would take me to Shreveport and stay with me until I was able to check in with the local Sherriff, then Jason would come to take me back to Bon Temps. My driver never told me his name and made it quite clear that talking to me was an option he wasn't interested in, I was bored out of my mind before we got on I-49. I couldn't even pass the time chatting to anyone because I hadn't bought a cell phone yet.

Every area's Sherriff had to have a place where vampires could meet with them, congregate and socialise and bar's were the safest option pre and post revelation. Bill had told me a lot about how they work things, Hadley and Frank told me stuff too but it was mainly gossip not history or politics. We stopped outside a drab building; I could see the neon signs said 'Fangtasia' even thought they weren't lit up yet. Fang-tasia? I snorted internally; someone's got a sense of humour! It wasn't quite dark yet but I got out of the car and turned when I heard someone shouting my name

"Mr. Burnham!" He knew I was coming here today, same as I had to check in with the Sherriff, his day person would be made available to see to any needs I had.

"Miss Stackhouse, it's lovely to see you again. How was your trip?"

"Quiet" I looked at my driver and he just raised an eyebrow at my comment. Thank you Mr. Personality.

"Well, I've got a key so we can wait inside for my Master, maybe have that coffee?"

At this point I would have been glad to converse with a pineapple "That sounds great Mr. Burnham."

"Please call me Bobby!"

"Only if you call me Sookie."

"Sookie? That's ... unusual." I shrugged "But very pretty!"

Nice comeback. Bobby let us into the bar, I was very interested in what it looked like, I'd never been in a bar before. Unlike many families we didn't eat out often when I was young so bars, restaurants, cafes, they were all out of bounds for me. It was ... well ... a vampire bar! Lots of black, red and grey decor, posters of famous TV and Movie vampires adorned the walls. Warning signs covered one wall, I may have turned a little green at the one that said 'humans expose their necks at their own risk', I immediately checked to see how much jugular I was flashing.

Bobby went behind the bar and came back with two large mugs of coffee, setting them on the table before picking up my bags and asking if he can store them in his Master's office for the moment. We sat and chatted about what I'd done the night before, Bobby was very impressed and I could hear him thinking that he was finally able to talk to a nice human woman, who would totally accept his career choice and share intelligent conversation. I kinda felt for him and understood his attraction to me, but I couldn't reciprocate, his mind was far too loud.

I heard the door open and close and heard heels clacking on the concrete floor, three humans, female, waitresses. They didn't like Bobby and they weren't impressed that I was on their 'turf'.

"She a new girl Bobby?"

"No Ginger" Bobby sneered "Miss Stackhouse is visiting us from the New Orleans Headquarters."

I stood and turned to smile at her, extending my hand. She just chewed on her gum and looked at me, snapping a bubble and twirling a finger in her hair. She was thinking that I looked uptight enough to be a headquarters kind of girl and wondered where my bite marks were because they sure weren't on my neck. The other two waitresses gave me the same kind of head to toe stare and one of them, Kerry, concluded that I must be a rare blood type sent to the Master as a gift. I shuddered.

Just then Ginger's eyes snapped to someone behind me "Master!" she bowed and scraped and the other two waitresses joined in. I didn't even see people act like this for Sophie-Ann; this guy must really think he's something. I turned around and Oh Lordy! Its Mr Caribbean eyes Viking. He reached out and took one of my hands kissing the back

"Miss Stackhouse. How delightful to see you again."

"Thank you Sherriff Northman, I understand you require my signature on some documents before I run off to Bon Temps."

"A formality. If you would like to come with me we'll get the paperwork out of the way, I was hoping you would join me for a drink, we didn't get to have much conversation at the compound."

"Uh ... well maybe one drink wouldn't hurt." I didn't want to refuse such a polite host. Kerry was trying to decide if I was very very important or very very good in bed because the Master never spoke or treated any of them like that. Bobby was as shocked as the waitresses but he was pleased his Master was showing me the respect I deserved. I was led to a medium sized office which contained a large desk, a couple of bistro style chairs and a worn but comfy looking leather couch. My bags had been left next to the couch, good; I was worried Bobby would have stored them so well I'd have to ask him to get them for me.

"I trust Bobby kept you entertained while you waited for me."

"Oh yes Sherriff Northman, he made me coffee and everything!"

"We can dispense with the official titles Sookie; I would very much like you to call me Eric."

Don't blush, don't blush. Shit, too late. I felt my cheeks heat up and watched an annoying, but very sexy, smirk form on his lips. Why did _he_ have to be in charge of area 5? He'd made quite the impression on me; I mean who wouldn't he leave an impression on? He was very very attractive and even though I could tell he _knew_ that, it didn't seem to negate his allure.

"Okay Eric. Let's get these papers dealt with and we can chat for a bit." He smiled and pushed some forms towards my side of the desk with a pen on top of them. One of them was a disclaimer that if I left the safety of his area he couldn't be held accountable for any fates that may befall me. One was confirming the address I would be staying at but the last one made me very angry.

"What is this?"

"I can see you're upset but please hear me out." I sat back and crossed my arms "I read over your contract and the Queen consulted with me about your fears of being fed on without your consent. Whenever you enter an area you are under the care of its Sherriff and allowing them to claim you as theirs could save your life if you are approached by a vampire in their area."

"So I just sign this form and if any vamps try to bite me I show it to them?"

"No, you would have to tell the vampire that you belong to me."

"WHAT? No. No way. I don't belong to anyone, I'm a contracted employee!"

"Vampires in court and the hierarchy know that but your average vampire on the street doesn't. We're very guarded about your presense and don't want every vampire knowing who you are. In Fangtasia for example we can have 15 vampires on any one night, yet only myself and Pam will know who you are. If you don't belong to a vampire you're fair game. We're just trying to protect you; all of the Sherriff's agreed that it's a good idea when you are in their area. The Queen is very ... enthusiastic about your safety and comfort."

I found it hard to be indignant when he'd explained things so well. I picked up the pen and started to sign the form, the last thing I wanted if I was scanning humans in the vampire bars was horny vampires thinking I was a free agent.

"You know it would work even better if you smelled like me."

"Excuse me?"

"If you were truly mine you would have my scent on you." Well that explained Bill's twitchy nose when I'd been with Frank.

"Is there a way to do that without being ... intimate?"

"Yes, but it's not as much fun. Do you have a scarf or something that you could wear around your neck?"

"I have a bandanna to wear in my hair, is that okay?"

"It will do. I'm going to rub my scent onto it so you don't have to worry about bathing. As long as you don't wash the bandanna you should be good for a couple of days."

I fished the bandanna out of my bag and when I turned around Eric had his shirt off. I was literally speechless; I held the fabric out to him with a shaky hand trying not to look at my first naked male torso and what a torso it was. The nurses at Valmont had a hunky men calendar near their desk and the guys in that had nothing on Eric. I watched him rub the fabric against his face, neck, chest, upper arms, down to his abs and oh my! It's very warm in here. That was the last thought I had before the floor zoomed towards my face at an alarming rate.

I could hear voices from far away. A woman was asking what had he done to me, I didn't know who she was, I wasn't sure which 'he' she was referring to, let alone what that person may or may not have done to me. There was another noise, a door, a voice a little louder and clearer

"Master! What happened to Sookie ... and why don't you have a shirt on?" Bobby? He was thinking that his Master better not have touched me because I was far too nice to be treated like the other women who come into Fangtasia. Ah! Now I remembered where I was and what happened.

"She's coming round, Bobby go and get a glass of water."

"Of course Pam."

Hmm ... the woman was called Pam. I tentatively started to sit up, keeping my eyes closed. I asked if Eric had a shirt on yet and heard rustling fabric and an amused 'yes'. I opened my eyes to find two smiling vampires; Eric and an equally blonde female who looked a little like a milk-maid with fangs. Bobby came in with a glass of water and handed it to me

"Sookie, are you okay? What happened, are you ill?"

"I'm fine Bobby; I was just a little ... overwhelmed." I noticed the way Eric was looking at me "Y'know, with all the forms and signing. I'm new to all of this."

Bobby nodded and was dismissed by Eric; he didn't really believe my excuse for fainting. Eric didn't believe it either but hid his smirk behind tented fingers. Pam crossed her arms and stood in front of me, eyeing me like a judge at a dog show trying to work out whether I was a prize winning pooch or a mangy mongrel.

"So this is the Queen's telepath? She smells ... different."

"I'm right here you know! It's rude to talk about someone like they're not even in the room!" Pam and Eric raised their eyebrows "I was wondering if it would be possible for me to use your phone. I need to call my brother to come and pick me up."

"No need, I will take you to Bon Temps myself."

Pam whipped round to stare at Eric like he'd just announced he liked to pretend he was Olivia Newton-John on Friday nights. I took this to mean that Eric didn't offer to drive people to backwater towns very often. The last thing I really wanted was to be alone with Eric, the effect he had on my bodily functions was very worrying but I didn't want to take the chance that refusing his hospitality might make him less amenable to keeping me safe now or in the future.

"It's very kind of you to offer and it would save him the trip out here but I still need to call him to let him know how I'm getting into town."

"Of course, that's very responsible Sookie." He pushed a phone to the edge of the desk and I went over and picked up the handset before he looked at me intensely "Are you always such a good girl Sookie?"

"I'm not sure what you mean by that, so I'll say yes for the time being."

I called Jason, he was a little put out that we wouldn't be spending quality time together driving back from Shreveport but I told him we'd have all of tomorrow day and night to talk and he could drive me back to Shreveport on Thursday afternoon. For the entirety of my call Pam was speaking to Eric in hushed tones and showing him what looked like invoices, but Eric kept his eyes on me the whole time. I hung up and went back to the couch sipping on my water until Eric told Pam to go and mind the door, when she left he leaned back in his chair and looked at me like I was a puzzle waiting to be solved.

"Sookie, would you like to accompany me into the bar for that drink?"

"I'm not sure. It's been a tiring day and I'd like to get to Bon Temps and see my family but I've never drank in a bar before so I'm wondering if I should get it over with and see what the fuss is about."

He laughed, it was a nice deep, rumbling laugh.

"You've never been in a bar and you pass out when you see a half naked man. Where on earth did the Queen find you – a convent?"

I just smiled my 'crazy Sookie' smile and stood up "Shall we?"

He nodded and held out his hand for me to take, which I thought was strange; he backed up to his desk and pulled me towards him. My heart felt like it was going to burst through my rib cage it was hammering so hard, but relief flooded me when he reached back and picked up my, now Eric scented, bandanna to tie in my hair. Once it was tied he pressed his hand to the small of my back and ushered me out into the bar area. This guy was touchy feely for a vamp and it kind of threw me for a loop.

The place was packed, there were men and women dressed in leather and latex trying to look like stereotypical vampires. There were others dressed in smart/casual clothes with cameras, they looked like tourists. There were also a fair few vampires dotted around. As we walked out onto the floor, I noticed Kerry and the other waitress; they looked at me like I was pond scum and wondered what the hell was so special about me. Eric noticed Kerry sneering at me and caught her attention, pointing to an empty booth. The fact that there was an empty booth when the place was so busy led me to believe that this was Eric's personal space and was always reserved just for him. We sat either side of the table and Kerry sauntered over, giving smouldering looks to Eric and flipping her hair before asking if there was _anything_ that _he_ needed.

"Kerry, Miss Stackhouse is our esteemed guest here, you should be trying to impress her with your customer service skills rather than shooting daggers at her and ignoring the fact she is sitting at this table without a drink."

He said it quiet enough that only the three of us would have heard and Kerry looked apologetic before taking my drink order and stomping off thinking that if I took her Master's attention away from her before she could have sex with him she'd kill me. I blanched and suddenly found my fingernails were the most interesting thing on the planet.

"You don't get any luxuries, do you Sookie?"

"What do you mean?"

"I could see that you obviously heard something that disturbed you from Kerry's mind. It must be hard finding out what everyone thinks of you, complementary or otherwise."

"Well, that's why I like being around vampires. I can't 'hear' you. Where your thoughts should be there's just a space, not a complete blankness but more like a bubble of nothing if you know what I mean. I know the brain is there but I don't know what's running through it."

"So you can only read humans?"

"Well I've found that I can read Weres if I touch them and concentrate really hard, but they also have to be trying to project a thought to me. If they aren't, it's just colourful swirls of mist."

"Interesting. You never answered me before."

"Before?"

"When I asked where Sophie-Ann found you."

"Oh that." Kerry came back with my drink, smiling sweetly; I kept out of her mind this time. "Okay a) I'm not sure I'm allowed to tell you, b) I'm not sure I _want_ to tell you and c) I don't think you'd want to know."

He laughed again and took a cell phone from his pocket; it looked like he was sending a text. I was counting the days until I got paid again so I could learn all that stuff. He sat smirking at me until his phone started chirping and he checked what was obviously a reply to whatever he sent.

"Well Sookie, a) Sophie-Ann just confirmed that you can tell anyone protecting you about your past, b) I hope that if I haven't earned your trust for you to divulge this, that I will in the near future and c) I find myself wanting to know every little detail about you." The strange thing was I found myself wanting to tell Eric every little detail about myself.

"Well, I'll save it for the drive to Bon Temps; it'll give us something to talk about."

As it turned out I spent most of the drive to Gran's house with my eyes screwed shut and a death grip on either side of the passenger seat of Eric's Corvette, there was very little talking. Mr. NASCAR eventually slowed down to 80mph when he heard me muttering the Lord's Prayer under my breath.

"Sookie, with my superior vampire senses there is very little chance of us being involved in an accident."

"Yes, well there _is_ still a chance and although _you_ might be immortal, _I_ am not."

"No you aren't" he glanced at me "Now, I believe you offered to inform me of how the Queen came to meet you."

"Oh that. You know that new injured vampire facility in New Orleans?"

"Ah! Yes, you worked there?"

"No. It used to be part of a hospital, Valmont mental hospital. Hadley spotted me on a balcony when she and Sophie-Ann came to see some vampires."

"You were a nurse in the mental hospital?"

"No. Stop interrupting me! I was a patient there. My ... telepathy was hard for people to understand when I was young and I was misdiagnosed with schizophrenia. I was sent there when I was 16 and spent 9 years pretending I was mentally ill."

I told him everything, even about how I used my mind reading to avoid the sexual violence that occurs when male guards are in charge of vulnerable young women. Turns out when you scream enough around certain guards and wake up an entire facility, they end up keeping those guards away from you to make everyone's lives easier.

_*****A/N: I know that last part is just wishful thinking but I want to spare Sookie the trauma*****_

He stopped in front of Gran's house and looked at me "Sookie you have missed so much of the world, I know the Queen has a soft spot for you and her past has much to do with that. You must be very careful now, you know vampires and the supernatural world can be very dangerous but like a family pet they can turn on you if you make the wrong move. Learn much and quickly, your innocence will make you a target and always trust your gut instinct. I will always make myself available to answer any questions you might have. Have a nice time with your family."

"Thank you Eric, I will."

I opened the car door and saw Gran peeking through the curtains. I waved and grabbed my bags as she almost tore the front door off its hinges to get to me and pull me into hug. Jason was right behind her and he hugged us both before Gran pulled me inside.

"Sookie, I've been waiting for this day so long child!"

"Me too Gran. I missed you all so much."

"We missed you too Sook." Jason left my bags in the hallway and pulled me onto a sofa next to him "Even though I'm not sure about you working for the vampires, I'm glad you're out of the nut house."

"Jason!"

"No Gran, it's okay! I call it that too sometimes, even when I lived there. I know vampires are scary but they're treating me real nice and keeping me safe."

"Safe?" Gran had a look of horror on her face "Why would you need to be kept safe?"

"From the Fellowship loonies, from hungry vampires, from people who don't like that I know what they're thinking."

"Oh my! I knew it was dangerous but I had no idea!"

"It's okay Gran. I have a guard during the day, Frank, he's ... special, I like him a lot. At night I have a vampire called Bill who guards me but also teaches me all about vampires and their history and politics and Hadley spends time with me too."

"So uh..." Jason was rubbing the back of his neck "Was that Bill? Who dropped you off in the 'vette?"

"No, that was Eric. He's kind of my vampire guide when I'm here. I'll have different guards and guides in different places."

"Sookie! Bodyguards and guides? It's like you're famous or something!"

"Well, that's the thing Gran, in the vampire world I am. Telepath's are pretty rare, there's a lot of work for me with them, as much as a lot of humans don't trust them, they don't trust humans much either. Just last week I heard that a vampire businessman in Mobile was duped by his human girlfriend, drained of his blood and robbed of anything he owned."

"Why would they drain a vampire Sookie?" Gran looked thoroughly confused but Jason stepped in

"Vampire blood is like a drug, they call it 'V', I've heard of some people who've taken it." I could see in Jason's head that he'd been tempted but chickened out, ever the athlete; his only poisons were beer and burgers.

We chatted for a long time, I assured them that the only time my blood had been drawn was when I shaved my legs and lost my concentration for a second. Jason said his goodbyes and I kept Gran up until 2am talking about Frank.

OoOoO

The next day I was woken by voices outside my bedroom door at 11am. Gran and Jason were debating whether to wake me up or not. Gran thought it wasn't healthy to sleep this late and Jason figured I would be a night owl these days and didn't really need to be awake during the day. I spared them both any further arguing by putting on my robe and opening my door.

"I'm up. A little earlier than I'm used to, I keep vampire hours these days."

I could hear Gran muttering her disapproval as she shuffled back towards the kitchen but Jason gave me a bright smile and suggested I get dressed and go somewhere called Merlotte's for something to eat. I showered and pulled on my jeans and a cute fitted plaid short sleeved shirt and met up with them in the living room.

I was making sure I had some cash in my wallet when there was a pounding at the door. Gran answered it, very annoyed that a simple knock wasn't good enough for whoever was visiting us. On the front porch were a sweaty man in a pit-stained shirt and tie and another man in uniform, a closer look told me that he was the town Sherriff.

"Mrs. Stackhouse."He nodded to her "We were hoping to talk to Jason here."

"Why would you want to talk to my Grandson?"

"It's just an enquiry Mrs. Stackhouse; we won't keep him but a minute."

I could see in his head that a girl had been killed and that Jason was the last person seen with her, in his opinion that made my brother the most likely suspect and he was hoping to pin this on him so he didn't have to do so much work. I was livid. Jason stepped forward.

"Bud, Andy. What can I do for you?"

"Maudette Pickens was found murdered last night and you were the last person seen with her. Where were you between the hours of 10pm and 1am last night?"

"I was here with my Gran and sister. I got here not long after dark, we were waiting on a call from Sookie so I could pick her up in Shreveport but she got a ... friend to bring her here instead. We stayed up talking; I left about 12.30 to go home to bed."

The Detective, Andy, looked at me and Gran. He wasn't happy that Jason had an alibi at all and he was wondering how convenient that his sister showed up the same night Maudette had been murdered. I remembered a Maudette from school: she was in the same class as me and teased me something awful. I wouldn't kill her though.

"You two ladies confirm this?"

We nodded and the two policemen trudged away dejected. Jason turned and looked at me; he knew I'd been reading their minds the whole time so I told him how they thought he was the easiest target to pin the killing on. He'd dated her for a while and apparently they'd had sex recently, they wanted to wrap up the murder in a neat little 'jealous lover' package and stamp a big 'solved' on the case file. Jason shook his head and unlocked his truck for me to get in, I was a little surprised when Gran didn't come with us but she thought Merlotte's was too rowdy for an old woman like her.

When we walked in Jason was greeted with a lot of 'Hey's' and 'Hi's' but when folks seen him holding my hand all of a sudden the whole place went quiet. The older ones seemed to figure out I was his sister but the younger people wondered where he'd managed to find such a sweet looking lay for the night. I was instantly offended but such was my curse I had to slap on my saccharine smile and wait to be introduced to everyone.

Two of Jason's work colleagues from the road crew were having lunch so we sat with them. Hoyt and Rene were part of the 'Jason's got a new piece of ass' group so I could only assume he didn't really talk to them much about family stuff. Hoyt seemed nice, very open; his mind was nice, like he _couldn't _think badly of anyone. Rene I wasn't sure of but before I could creep in his head we were accosted by a fake red-head waitress who obviously had some kind of relationship with Rene. We ordered our burgers and Jason brought up the visit from the police. I took that opportunity to check Rene's mind and had to hide my shock at the darkness in there. Whenever Jason said Maudette's name there would be an explosion of anger. At first I thought maybe he was angry that she was dead but his thoughts didn't seem to come from a place of grief, they came from a place of hate but there he was smiling at Jason's jokes as if everything was normal and he was thinking about baby pandas.

Rene was someone I'd have to keep an eye on.


	7. Friend of a Friend

Sookie, Interrupted – Chapter 7 – Low

Lunch at Merlotte's was amazing, I managed to forget about Rene's darkness while we chatted and I answered everyone's questions. They were all so interested in where I'd been and why I hadn't come back sooner, it was uncomfortable at first because I was lying through my teeth but soon I even bought into the lie myself and it seemed like Valmont had just been a horrible dream. A scruffy but handsome man came out from the back and stood behind the bar. His red hair (natural unlike the waitress!) stuck out at jaunty angles and made him look like he had a halo when the light shone from behind him.

"Hey Sam! Come and meet my baby sister!"

He smiled and made his way over to our table, as usual my first instinct was to check out his mind and realised he was two-natured. I stuck my hand out and concentrated on him as he shook it. Nothing. It was like he was blocking me somehow. It confused me and he must have noticed, he sniffed and raised his eyes to the bandanna tied round my head. You'd have to be more than human or incredibly tuned into Supe body language to notice it, but he sneered, just a little lip curl but a sneer nonetheless.

"Sookie right? Jason's mentioned you a couple of times, you were a waitress right?" I nodded keeping up my cover. "Too bad you're not hangin' around for a while; you'd make a lot of tips here!"

"Well Sam, I'll take that as a complement! Are you the barman here?"

He laughed "Yes but I'm also the owner. Sam Merlotte."

"Oh! Well seeing so many people enjoying themselves here must be very fulfilling for you."

"Well" he laughed and ran a hand through his hair "It would be more of feather in my cap if there was anywhere else to go in this town!"

Everyone at the table laughed and started talking about how they used to just go to each other's houses and get drunk before Sam opened up the bar. I realised I hadn't been into town yet.

"Jason, would you take me into town. I'd like to see how much has changed since I ... left."

"Uh ... well ... "I saw him looking at one of the waitresses, I think her name was Dawn, we hadn't been introduced but I saw her in other's minds. "I was hopin' ta ... catch up with some stuff on my day off ... yeah catch up!"

I smiled and shook my head, every time he came to see me in Valmont he had a new girlfriend and I could tell by being here that there was nary a woman under 30 that hadn't fell for his charms in this town. Sam cleared his throat

"Well, I need to go down to the police station to drop off the stuff Maudette left here for evidence. I can give you a ride if you'd like?"

I wasn't sure if I'd like that or not seeing as he seemed to know something was off about my head gear, but I also wanted to know why one of the two-natured was running a bar in a backwater.

"Sure Sam that would be great! We could get to know each other a little better."

I looked at him pointedly and he realised that I knew there was something different about him. Jason looked a little angry, oh gosh! Everyone thought when I said I wanted to get to know him that meant sex! I sputtered and babbled something about just being friendly and that just made things worse! I grabbed my bag and told Sam I'd see him outside.

As I waited outside I thought about how pretty the woods were around here, New Orleans is nice and my life there is awesome but something about the countryside just made me feel home. Sam came out and pointed to a truck parked next to a trailer. I pointed to it

"For when you have a late night?"

"Uh ... no, that's where I live."

His bar is successful, why would he want to live in a trailer? "Well you sure don't have far to travel to get to work!"

He opened the passenger door for me and held my elbow to help me inside before walking around to the driver side and getting behind the wheel. As soon as his door was closed he turned to me

"I know you're Jason's sister but you're different from him, what are you?"

"Well you'd know about different Mr. Merlotte!" That was harsh but just coming right out and asking what someone was was pretty rude too!

"You know? About me?"

"I know enough to know you're not human, you're two-natured aren't you?"

"How?"

"I have a gift."

"A gift huh? That's why you smell like vampire?"

I took off my bandanna and handed it to him "I don't smell like vampire, the bandanna does. It's for my protection in case I run into a vampire on my travels I can tell them I belong to one."

"But you don't? Why would a vampire let you use his scent and not demand the benefits?"

"Because I'm not that kind of girl Sam! It's ... my boss, she has ... representatives over the state and when I'm away from New Orleans I have to let them protect me."

"Who in New Orleans has vamp reps all over Louisi ... LeClerq! You work for Sohpie-Ann LeClerq!"

"You can't tell anyone! It might put me in danger."

He nodded, deep in thought. "That still doesn't fully explain how you know I'm a shifter. What exactly is it you do for LeClerq?"

"Well" I sighed "Do you know why I was ... I left Bon Temps?"

"Yeah some working farm for unruly teens or some such."

"That's not entirely true. My parents sent me to a Mental hospital because I could hear voices. The doctor said it was schizophrenia but I'm actually a telepath. My cousin Hadley saw me while she was on her way to the Vampire rehabilitation centre, her maker – Sophie-Ann LeClerq – was with her and the rest is history as they say."

"Wow! That's ... amazing, sad but amazing. You read minds for LeClerq?" I nodded "Well shit! I understand why you and your family are keeping this under your hats. Don't worry; I'll keep your secret."

"Thanks Sam, I'll keep yours too."

"Can you read my mind? Have you tried?"

I snorted "Of course I've tried! My own personal safety 101, always check new brains to make sure they don't mean harm. But no, I can't read your mind, not specific thoughts anyway, but I can tell your brain signature is different from a regular human."

We lapsed into easy chit chat after that. Sam pointing out places of interest and things that were different or new in the last few years. I wandered around a strip mall while Sam was in the police station when I came across a clothing store. Tara's Togs? What were the chances that there were two Tara's in Bon Temps? Tara had been the only person in school that had given me the time of day and wasn't nasty to me about my ... difficulties. I opened the door and decided to have a look around.

The woman at the desk was instantly recognisable "Hi, Tara?"

She looked at me open mouthed for a few seconds before coming out and standing in front of me "Sookie? Sookie Stackhouse! Is that you girl?"

"It sure is! How've you been?"

"Oh my! I've been great... I _am_ great! But you! Jesus girl" she pulled me into a tight hug "It's good to see you home."

"I'm only here until tomorrow. I got a few days off from work and wanted to come back and see everyone."

"Well, hell! We got a lot of catching up to do and not much time to do it!"

Just then Rene came in and looked at us both "Uh ... Tara? Arlene asked me to pick up her dress for the engagement party."

"Sure thing, hey has there been any more said about Maudette?"

"Yeah, the police found her covered in bite marks from vampires." Again his mind went to that dark place but this time I could see Maudette. Her arms, the top of her legs, her neck, she was naked. Wait he wasn't looking at her body – he was looking at the fang marks! He stopped thinking about Maudette and started thinking about Dawn, no, not Dawn but her neck, her neck with fang marks on it and he raged inside his mind. Why would he be able to imagine Maudette's dead body so vividly and why was he so angry about the fang marks?

"Do the police think a vampire did it?" Tara brought me back to the here and now. Rene shook his head

"That I don't know, but I wouldn't put it past one. Evil bastards the whole lot of 'em."

"Was she drained?" they both looked at me "Well, if she was killed by a vampire they'd probably drain her."

Again his mind was black with anger but he smiled sweetly at me "Not sure. She should have known better than to get involved with them, like a dog they can turn on you."

With that he grabbed the garment bag and left. I thought about what I'd saw, the only way he would know where Maudette's marks were was if he'd seen them. I felt my stomach flip flop as I realised that he was there! He was in the room with her when she was dead. Why? Did he discover the body? I quickly agreed to meet Tara at Merlotte's later and went back to the police station.

Sam was still there, talking to ... Kevin Prior! Wow, he was always the weedy kid and now look at him! Sherriff's deputy! I smiled at them both

"Well look who breezed back in! How you been Sookie?"

"Fine Kevin! Hey can I ask something? About Maudette?"

"Well I can answer some questions but you understand ..."

"Yeah ongoing investigation, I know. Who was it that discovered the body?"

He looked at Sam and sucked air through his teeth, Sam shook his head "Sookie, Kevin can't tell you but everyone knows it was Maxine Fortenberry, well not really discovered but she was the one to call the police and tell them something was wrong when Maudette didn't show to give her a ride to the library."

I felt faint. I sat on one of the waiting chairs and digested the fact that the only way that Rene could have seen Maudette like that was if he done it. Either that or he was the type of man who discovered a dead woman and didn't call the authorities, and that didn't seem likely from what I'd gleaned from his thoughts. Sam must have seen the look on my face because he said his goodbyes to Kevin and dragged me back out to his truck.

"What's wrong Sookie? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"Oh Sam! I know, I know who killed her!"

"Maudette? How?" I tapped my forehead "Oh right! Well, what can we do about it? It's not like you can use that as evidence." He ran his hands through his hair and set them on the steering wheel, gripping it until his knuckles went white.

"It was Rene."

"Why would he kill her? They hardly knew each other."

"The fang marks, that's what he was focussing on in his mind, then he thought about the marks he seen on ... oh no Sam! He thought about Dawn! You don't think he'd..."

"Dawn and Maudette never hid the fact they went to that bar in Shreveport together, Fangtime or something."

"Fangtasia" his eyes flicked to my bandanna again.

"Uh ... yeah. Still don't explain why he's killin' them though. Hatin' vamps is one thing but goin' after girls who let them ... do stuff is pretty extreme."

"Not that unusual though. A bunch of willing donors have turned up dead in New Orleans. That's part of my job, making sure everyone is safe and no-one is a spy to get names or other information."

"Hmm ... so you're there to ... save people?"

"Yeah, humans, vampires, Weres, anyone who works with the Qu ... Sophie-Ann is a target for hate groups. How well do you know Rene? Does he have any friends that he hangs around with that seem off?"

"None. Apart from Jason, Hoyt, Lafayette and Arlene he's a loner."

"Which makes his acts more psychopathic than anything else." I huffed out a large breath "We can't do anything about this, really, and I hate that. What we can do however is protect Dawn, keep a close eye on her y'know?"

"I can do that, my usual form is a dog, I can hang around her place when she's there alone and watch for any signs. Jason can maybe keep her occupied at other times."

"Well that'll have to do for now." I rubbed my face and wondered what would have happened if I'd lived here and trusted everyone. "Could you take me back to my Gran's? I'm meeting Tara tonight to catch up and want to change. We're meeting at your bar but she said she wanted to go somewhere later so I'd better dress up."

"Sure thing Sookie. Look don't worry about Dawn, I'll talk to Jason maybe try to convince him that she's worth more than one night." I smiled and raised an eyebrow and Sam laughed "Okay, I guess you know about his rep here in town!"

When I got back to Gran's I could smell her amazing cooking as soon as I opened the door. I was salivating at the thought of some good home cooking, Chef Dalton was great but no-one could beat my Gran's chicken and dumplings. I told Gran I would be going out with Tara tonight and she seemed happy I was catching up with friends, not that Tara and I had been close but she was the closest thing I had to a friend in school. We spent the rest of the afternoon chatting about people in town, people I work with (Gran was fascinated that Bill had a living relative across the cemetery from her!), her clubs, Jason's loose zip on his pants and lastly Frank. Gran had a lot of questions about Frank and I had a lot to tell her. I missed him, a lot, more than I actually thought I would. I told her about Miriam's weird attitude when she saw us being friendly

"Well. A lot of employers don't like their staff being too friendly if you know what I mean. You always see stories and TV programmes about how inter-office relationships go south and affect everyone around them."

"Huh, I never thought about it like that. It doesn't matter, me and Frank are different!"

She gave me a look that said 'just watch yourself' and cleared away our dinner dishes. I went to my room and got out my little dress and my heels and headed for the shower. By dusk I was ready and Gran gave me a ride to Merlotte's

"Now if you want a ride home you just call me or Jason and we'll come get you."

"I think Tara wants to go somewhere else after this, I have enough money for a cab but if I'm still here when we're done I'll call Jason, I don't want you driving around in the dead of night Gran!"

She laughed and said what sounded like 'likewise'. Tara was already in there when I walked in, Sam was behind the bar and his eyes bugged out a little when he saw me in my dress. We drank and talked and I had to make up amusing anecdotes about 'Rebel-Ranch'. I was shocked and a little perturbed at how easy it was for me to make up lies on the spot to keep up the illusion that had been created for the people of Bon Temps.

When Dawn came back to see if we wanted another drink I declined, I was getting a little tipsy and didn't want another hangover like I'd had after the Sherriff's social.

"Oh come on Sookie!" Tara had only had one drink but she was driving "You can sober up on the way there!"

"The way where?"

She leaned in and whispered, Dawn leaning in to overhear "I'm taking you to Fangtasia! It's a vampire bar! I figured Jason wouldn't take you out to sample some real nightlife when you were here and I've heard it gets pretty wild there!"

"Oh it does sugar!" One look in Dawn's head proved it, there was a flash of Eric's face and I pulled out, I wanted to be able to look him in the eye again at some point, I didn't need to know what he got up to with her. "Hey I get off in 15 minutes, I was heading somewhere else but could I come with you guys? I got my eye on someone there."

Tara smiled and said 'sure' but inside she was cussing up a storm. It's not that she minded someone else coming, it was just the fact it would be Dawn. Like me, she was too polite to say anything out loud and figured it was just a few hours of our time so she should suck it up and play nice.

I really didn't want to go there, not only because it was part of my work, but my bandanna didn't go with my dress and if Eric caught me without it I didn't think he'd let it slide. Think fast Sookie! I smiled and told them I'd be back in a minute then asked Sam if there was a phone I could use to have a private conversation. He led me to his office and pointed to his desk, I dug the card Eric had given me out of my purse and dialled his number.

_Northman_

"Hi Eric, its Sookie."

_Why Sookie, are you missing me already?_

"Uh ... not really. I'm coming to Fangtasia with some friends, I can't wear my bandanna with my outfit and I don't know what to do!"

_Relax, when you arrive tell whoever is at the bar that you're there and I'll come out to ... ensure your comfort personally._

"Okay, okay, I can do that. Oh and one of the girls I'm coming with has met you before."

_Lots of women have met me Sookie._

"Oh. Right. Well I'll see you soon. Bye!"

I hung up and went back out, Dawn was in the bathroom changing and Tara was checking her make-up in a little mirror from her purse. Ten minutes later we were on our way to Shreveport, both Tara and Dawn were very excited. Tara because she'd never been before and Dawn because she wanted to be with Eric again. I kept way out of her brain when she was talking about him. To be honest it was ticking me off, just hours ago she was making googly eyes at my brother and now she's talking about having sex with another man ... vampire ... whatever! Jason gets around but I doubt he'd still be alive if he played with two women on the same day.

"Dawn, don't you think it's a little distasteful to be so overtly friendly with my brother and talk about having sex with someone else less than 6 hours later?" She looked at me open mouthed while I scowled at her, Tara was pursing her lips trying not to laugh and thinking it's about time someone called her out for the slut she is.

There wasn't room in the parking lot at the club so we had to park across the street. Teetering through traffic in heels wasn't something I'd had on my top ten things to experience once out of the Looney bin. We got in line, it was long, and Dawn was boasting about how she could probably walk straight to the front and get us in because she'd been with Eric. I was getting pretty sick of hearing about it. Just then I locked eyes with the vampire manning the door, it was Pam. She walked out from behind her little podium and came towards us. She knew me but how would I explain to Tara and Dawn why.

"Miss Stackhouse, how nice to see you again." The two women glared at me, then looked at Pam, I took the opportunity to shake my head at her

"Oh Pam! I forgot you worked here!" She looked confused for a second then played along smiling "Did Mr. Northman get the papers I dropped off?" Tara and Dawn looked very bewildered "Oh! Sorry guys, my employer has so many business associates I never know when I'll run into one!"

"Yes, it's always a pleasure doing business with Sookie" Pam licked her lips suggestively, it made me shiver and not in a good way "Come, you're too important to wait with the rabble, I shall tell Eric you are here."

"Thank you very much Pam, we appreciate it!"

Dawn was livid that I had the attention of the lovely Pam, Tara was happy she wouldn't have to wait in line. Pam led us to the same booth that I'd sat in with Eric the night before; Dawn was not a happy bunny.

"So what is it you do exactly that makes vamps give you the royal treatment?" I almost choked on my own saliva considering I was in fact employed by a royal.

"I work for a very important business woman in New Orleans, I take care of the staff and any issues they have both at headquarters and in branches throughout Louisiana. The vampires who own this bar also happens to be involved with the area office. They keep me sweet and I solve their personnel problems quicker."

I winked at her to try and lighten the mood but now she just had a chip on her shoulder about city girls thinking they were better than everyone else. Tara on the other hand was suitably impressed

"Wow Sook! That must be really interesting travelling around problem solving, helping ..."

Her voice drifted off as her eyes drifted up. I figured that could only mean one thing. I turned around and sure enough, there was Eric. I nodded to him and he grabbed my hand and kissed the knuckle of each one of my fingers.

"Mmm ... Miss Stackhouse. A pleasure to see you again."

"Thank you Mr. Northman" He grinned widely and clicked his fingers. Seconds later Kerry was taking our drink order and Tara was thinking she was glad she came here with me. Not just because of the service but it meant there was someone else who wasn't dressed like a streetwalker and sporting vamp-hickeys.

Dawn nudged Tara and shuffled further into the booth, she said Eric's name and patted the space next to her. He raised an eyebrow and looked at me, flicking his hand to indicate he wanted me to make space on my side. I moved and he slid in beside me, Dawn's rage evident on her face which amused Tara no end. I felt Eric lean into me and rub his face against my shoulder and neck, I clenched my teeth and hissed

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Scenting you."

"I'm never forgetting my bandanna again!"

He laughed; it came out as a rumble from deep in his chest. Dawn was drumming her acrylics on the table

"Just what did you say you done for these vamps again?"

Eric stopped his 'scenting' and glared at her "Are you suggesting that Miss Stackhouse is something other than completely professional in her dealings with me?"

She changed from irritated to seductive in a second "Well, if she doesn't want to I could be very unprofessional Eric."

She got up and stood in front of him, reaching out a hand to possibly stroke his arm when he grabbed her wrist and pulled her down so she her face was a couple of inches away from his. It looked like she enjoyed it ... eww.

"Whatever your name is, I am not interested. You insult me with your brazenness and you insult your companions by flaunting yourself. Find another vampire to play with."

He pushed her away and she stumbled back a couple of steps rubbing where he had held her before standing tall and sashaying over to the bar. Tara was in shock over what had happened, especially Dawn's behaviour, she couldn't wait to get back to her fiancé to gossip about it!

"Oh my! I'm so rude! Eric Northman this is Tara Thornton, Tara and me kinda hung out when we were at school. The other girl was Dawn."

"Yes I knew her name."

"But you said..."

"If she thought I remembered her she would have been more insistent, you girls came here to relax and enjoy yourselves, not to watch your desperate friend try to get me to bite her."

"Oh well, thank you ... I guess."

"So Miss Thornton, Tara, you knew Sookie before she ... left Bon Temps?"

"Uh ... yeah. We were friendly; we had a few things in common." He smiled and waved for her to elaborate "Well, we both had hard times, kind of outcasts, we both loved to read and we both loved to dance."

I remembered our dancing very well; we almost got kicked out of school for following a dance routine we saw on MTV for the talent show. As if fate was looking down and flipping me the bird, that exact song came on and I cringed. One look at Tara confirmed that one of my many nightmares was about to come true.

"Come on Sook! I know you remember the steps!"

I smiled tightly and asked Eric to let me out of the booth, my butt had barely left the seat before Tara grabbed my hand and pulled me into the middle of the floor to start the dance routine of shame. I remembered every hip swivel, thrust and grind, apparently a few other girls did too and joined in with us. If we'd been on the bar it would have been just like that movie Coyote Ugly. I chanced a glance at Eric thinking he was probably laughing his ass off at me but instead he was staring at me, the heat from his eyes could have set me on fire and his fangs were fully extended.

The song finished and Tara pulled me back to the booth fanning her face and giggling. I chose to sit next to her and reached across the table for my drink rather than squeezing past Eric to my previous seat. Would it be rude for me to tell him to stop staring at me? We finished our drinks and thankfully Tara mentioned needing to start work early the next day so we got ourselves together and Eric offered to walk us to the car.

"Oh really Eric, there's no need, we'll be fine."

"Nonsense Sookie, I insist."

Tara gripped my arm and whispered something about gentlemen in my ear. We passed Dawn at the bar; she was hanging off a black haired vampire who looked like he'd won the lottery. Tara asked her if she wanted a ride back to Bon Temps

"Don't worry yourself" she snorted "I got my ride right here."

I got the hidden meaning and saw red "Dawn, you're a bitch and half you know that? If I ever see you anywhere near my brother again I'll rip every hair out of your head and make a rope out of it to hang you with. You used Tara to get a ride here, you insult my family by carrying on with vampires when you were flirting with Jason just hours ago and you've embarrassed us by throwing yourself at our host."

I turned on my heel and left, Tara trying to keep up with me. It was only when I got to the car I started to really breathe again. I looked up and saw Eric and Tara grinning at me

"Sook, threatening to rip out her hair and make a rope out of it was class! I wish I could have thought of something to say to her but, girl, you said it all." She came round and high fived me.

"Indeed, it was certainly ... stirring to see you stand up for your friends and family so passionately. I hope, despite your absent travel companion, you had a good time tonight." We both nodded "Well, be assured you both are always welcome in Fangtasia anytime."

We thanked him for his hospitality and started the drive back home. Being used to vampire hours, I wasn't very sleepy when I got back to Gran's but I went to bed anyway and let my brain digest everything that had happened over the course of the day. I felt a little bad when I thought maybe the reason Rene would kill Dawn is because she's such a bitch? I shook the thoughts away and chided myself for them, she might be a horrible person but she doesn't deserve to die for it. At least Sam would be keeping an eye on her.

OoOoO

By the time I woke up the next day (after a very interesting dream about Eric), I just had enough time to have breakfast, pack up my stuff and say I tearful farewell to Gran. Jason seemed a little off when I got in the truck, I asked him why and he told me that Dawn was supposed to meet him in a bar in Monroe last night. I was so angry I actually growled. He was shocked when I told him that she piggybacked on me and Tara's night out so she could bag a vampire

"So she was just stringing me along until she had the chance to get fanged? I should give her a piece o' my mind, hell I should do it in Merlotte's just for embarrassment factor after what she did to you and Tara!"

I could just imagine Jason shouting at her in Sam's bar, then I thought how suspect that would make him if Sam couldn't stop Rene from killing her. Sam was also counting on Jason to keep an eye on her.

"Jason I'm going to tell you something, I read someone's mind yesterday and I know who killed Maudette."

"Well you should go to the cops." I looked at him "Oh, yeah, right, sorry!"

"I also found out that Dawn is next on the list. If you fight with her and she dies, then you'll be suspect number one. Sam is gonna keep an eye on her and he was hopin' you'd help out. Don't try to be a hero, if you see something suspicious just call 911."

"Okay, okay. Who is it?"

"I can't tell you that, as much as it pains me, we're kinda using Dawn as bait to smoke out the killer. Watch Dawn and you'll find out who it was okay?"

"That'll have to do." He cleared his throat "So Fangtasia again huh?"

"Urgh I know! What are the chances? I come here to get away from vampires for a couple of days and where does Tara take me for a night out! It was good though, Eric was nice and we didn't pay for a drink all night. It's good to know the owner."

"Hell Sookie, I've known Sam for years and I don't even get a free toothpick! Just be careful this Eric doesn't want you to repay the favour."

"Why would he want me to buy him drinks? He only drinks blood ... oh! I see. Well don't you worry about me Jason; I've got everything under control." Except my raging hormones. Eric is strong and powerful and very very sexy, so I had one little dream! What heterosexual woman wouldn't right? RIGHT?

OoOoO

The drive back to New Orleans was much the same as the drive to Shreveport two days ago. Every time I asked the driver a question all I got was a grunt in response, wonderful. When we pulled up at the residence Frank was waiting outside for me. I leapt out and ran into his arms, the driver dumping my bags unceremoniously next to us.

"I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, how was Bon Temps?"

"Good." I lied, it had its good points, discovering a murderer wasn't one of them "Jason and Gran are well, I caught up with a couple of folks I knew before I got sent away, it'll be easier next time."

"Yeah you won't have to spend your break getting introduced to everyone again. Did the Sherriff give you any trouble?"

Apart from making me pass out and rubbing himself all over me? "No, no trouble at all, he was very accommodating."

"Yeah" Frank snorted "I'm sure Northman was. He has quite the reputation as a ladies' man."

"Well he must have been on his best behaviour. No pick up lines or touching of inappropriate places at all."

By this time we were outside my room door, I put my key in and opened up. I was completely speechless when I noticed a large canvas hanging over my bed. That definitely hadn't been there before I left! It was huge and rather than being an expensive or rare piece of art, it was an old photo of me, Hadley, Jason and Gran that had been printed onto the fabric stretched over the frame. I ran to my bed and kneeled on it, running my fingers over the happy faces that stared out.

"This is amazing! Did Hadley do this?"

Frank shrugged "I guess so; no-one has really spoken to me much since you've been gone. You know how the vamps are with weres." He turned to the kitchen counter and pulled an envelope from under the coffee maker. "Here this is for you."

I walked over and opened it. It was a note from Hadley:

_Hey Cuz_

_Surprise! I wanted to do something family orientated seeing as I'm not quite ready to visit home just yet. Maybe in a couple of years we can take the road trip together, but until then we can look at this picture and talk about what we've both left in Bon Temps. I'll see you tonight at the reading but might not have time to speak to you, until I do – be safe, take care and know that whatever I've done in the past I'm determined to make up for when I'm able._

_Had xx_

"Aww, that's so sweet!" I set the note down and went over to my bag that Frank had put on the sofa when I felt hands on my shoulders, moving down to rub my upper arms.

"Sookie, how much did you miss me?" he murmured into my neck "I want to show you how much I missed you, please Sookie. Let me show you."

I turned around and Frank planted his lips on mine in a deep, deep kiss that I felt all the way to my toes. His hands were everywhere, leaving trails of goosebumps and fire under my clothes. He picked me up and took me to the bed, setting me down on the edge and kneeling between my thighs. I felt my shirt being tugged and pulled until it was bunched up under my armpits and Frank removed his lips from my mouth and latched onto one of my breasts through my bra.

"Frank ... wait ... I'm not sure ... we've never gone this far before."

"Please Sookie, I've waited too long, just trust me baby, I can make you feel good."

"Will you stop if I ask you?"

"Of course I will" he sat back a little and cupped my face with his hands "Just relax Sookie, go with the flow but tell me if I do something you're not comfortable with."

I nodded and he went back to caressing my skin with his fingers and mouth. I pulled my shirt over my head and Frank moved his lips to my neck nipping at the flesh with his blunt teeth. I arched my back to bring his attention back to my breasts and he took the hint cupping one with his hand and taking his mouth down to the other, sucking, rolling, pinching and pulling until my nipples were like pebbles inside the underwired contraption. It felt really good and I wanted more, I reached back and released the catch on my bra and Frank pulled it out of his way, throwing it across the room.

I grabbed at his shirt pulling it up; if I was topless then he should be too right? This is it; I'm going with the flow. I can do this. He pushed me back so I was lying down and leaned over me, settling his lips on mine and massaging my tongue with his. I felt him unfastening my jeans and stiffened

"Shhh ... its okay baby. I know you're nervous but I've done this plenty of times before, trust me."

I nodded and let him pull my jeans off but in the back of my head I was thinking about what a weird thing that was to say. Why tell me about how much experience he's had? He brought his head back to my nipples and his hand gently stroked the flesh around the inside of my thighs. God it felt good, I wanted more. I pushed my hips forward to try and entice him into touching me where my body was telling me needed touched the most.

"You're eager for a first timer; they usually just lie back and let me do my own thing."

He moved my panties to the side and stroked the heated flesh there, it felt like when I put the shaving cream on to do some garden maintenance. Then it hit me, what did he just say? I pushed him slightly to get his attention

"What do you mean 'they'? Are you a serial virginity reliever?"

He laughed lightly and carried on stroking, moving his fingers and finding ... oh Lord! I didn't want him to stop but he hadn't answered me yet. I reached down and gripped his wrist

"Frank? Tell me what you meant."

"It's nothing, I'll tell you another time."

I grabbed his face with both hands and forced myself into his mind, he wasn't projecting anything in particular but he was nervous and angry at the same time.

"It's not 'nothing' Frank. You're ... hiding something. I can't do this if you can't be truthful to me!"

He sighed and sat back on his heels "I'm the oldest son of the pack master, therefore one of the preferred breeders. When the females reach maturity, I ... it's my responsibility to ensure the pack is well populated."

I scurried backwards on the bed "So when a girl is old enough you take her virginity and get her pregnant!"

"Basically. I know this is a lot to take in but can we talk about it more afterwards?"

"What? No! This is huge! When was the last time?"

"Its pack business Sookie, I don't feel for them the same way I feel for you."

"That's not what I asked you! When was the last time Frank?"

"Two weeks ago."

"WHAT? Two weeks? But we were still close, we were together or so I thought. Oh my God, I can't believe this!"

"It's pack business like I said; it's like doing the dishes or sweeping the porch – a family chore that has to get done." I looked at him incredulously "Wait, that didn't come out like it was supposed to."

"Get out Frank. Just get dressed and get out."

"Please Sookie, you have to understand..."

"GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!" I kept screaming it until I was bright red and he opened my room door, as he was walking out Bill and Hadley ran in to find me almost naked, huddled under my bed sheets with tears soaking my face and neck.


	8. Low

**Sookie, Interrupted – Chapter 8 – Low**

"Get him!" Hadley shouted at Bill before coming over to sit next to me on the bed "Oh Sook Honey, what did he do? Did he hurt you?"

"Not physically no, Had."

Bill dragged Frank back into my room and threw him on the floor "Sookie, if this ... animal harmed you the Queen will be most upset."

"Stop guys. Just stop. It's not like that, let him go, he didn't do anything to hurt me" except waiting 'til he had his hands on the goodies before letting me know he was practically a professional deflowerer.

Frank picked himself up off the floor and left again, I asked Had to pass me my clothes, I also had to ask the vampires to turn around while I dressed myself. I knew they seemed to lose all sense of modesty when turned but they could at least have some respect for those that are still encumbered with nakedness issues.

"So what happened Sook? Did he try something and get angry when you wouldn't do it?"

"No." I took a deep breath "He was ... we were getting ... y'know, because we missed each other while I was away and he said something about doing this plenty of times and that usually first timers are nervous. It struck me as an odd thing to say, so I asked about it and he told me about his ... obligations as a male in his pack."

"Oh."

"Well, Sookie all of the weres need to keep the population up of their species, it's his duty..."

"Not now Bill! Geez." Hadley glared at him. "Honey he's a total bastard for not telling you that before."

"It's not that Had, we've been close ... y'know kissing and stuff for a good while now. He had sex with one of the females of his pack 2 weeks ago. Two. Weeks. He couldn't even keep his dick away from another woman long enough for me to get comfortable with the idea!"

"Monogamy amongst Supes is very rare ..."

"For fuck sakes Bill would you just shut up! I'm sorry it turned out like this Sook. You don't need some filthy were getting his paws all over you, I know a ton of cute young vamps who'd be _dying_ to tap your ass."

"Dying?" I laughed, I noticed Hadley was smiling, she'd said that on purpose. "Oh Lord! I have the meeting in less than an hour! I have to shower and change and ... and ..."

"Shhh! Breathe in and breathe out Sook. Remember you're like a fine tuned machine Sook, don't let him affect your concentration, this is what you've trained for."

I rolled my head back and forth to loosen the muscles in my neck "Okay I'm cool ... Let's get this done people!"

I showered quickly, scraped my hair back into a neat ponytail and dabbed some lip-gloss on before donning my business wear and picking up my laptop from where Frank had left it on the sofa. I marched out of the room with a smile on my face but a rock where my heart once was. Bill offered his elbow and I tentatively accepted

"For what it's worth Sookie, I thought you were too good for Frank anyway. Would that really have been your first time? Perhaps it's your virginity that makes you smell so sweet! You know, virgin blood..."

"Bill! I swear if you say one more word to my cousin I'll inject your favourite donor with the bubonic plague!"

I stifled a giggle at Hadley's protectiveness and Bill's shocked expression before putting on my professional face and walking into the conference room. All of the business associates were already seated and as I settled into my little corner of the table and set up my laptop, Sophie-Ann glided into the room with Andre at her side. She nodded to me, which I returned, and then made sure everyone in the room knew who the other people were and what they done for her.

For three hours I sat tapping away, making notes on thoughts that the business folks were having, fortunately most of them were too scared of vampires to try and pull one over on them. Most. When we were done, everyone except myself, the Queen, her children and Bill was ushered out.

"So Sookie, what do we have?"

"Mr. Beaumont is charging you double for the materials used to renovate the monastery in the Garden District. Mrs. Kerr is also fleecing you for money however she is using the extra to get fake ID's for women she buys from Asia and puts to work in the brothel she runs on the side. The most important piece that I gleaned was that Doctor Hobart at the rehab centre thinks one of his assistants may be connected to the fellowship."

"Excellent. We can deal with the first two and will obviously require your help with the last." I nodded, bowing my head deeply "Now as to this evening's unpleasantness." I looked at her, confusion evident on my features. "Sookie, I know everything that goes on here, including when my telepath is found almost naked in bed screaming 'get out' with a security guard making a hasty exit from her room."

"Oh. That. I assure you your Majesty; it has not and will not affect the work I do for you here. If I have to be guarded by Fr ... Mr. Parr, I'm sure we'll find a way to ensure no further incidents occur."

"I should hope it doesn't affect your work dear! As to Mr. Parr, I believe continuing to have him guard you would be counter-productive; he cannot do his job if you can't stand to be near one another. I will assign a new guard to you but he will be unavailable until next week."

"That is more than generous your Majesty."

"Sookie, your gift relies on you being physically and emotionally comfortable. The human mind is delicate and can be damaged through stress. We keep you happy and you are able to make us aware of any dangers to our persons, reputations or finances. I want you to be happy because I want you to be useful."

"That is very wise your Majesty, you are truly a great leader."

"Quite. With this in mind, you are aware that you have no scheduled commitments for tomorrow and Saturday night and that you will be going to Baton Rouge to read for Gervaise on Sunday yes?" I nodded "Would you like to go early? The DA there has requested the first monthly meeting to coincide with your presence so they can make you aware of anything in particular they come across. I'm sure they would not mind you joining them."

This is great! I get to avoid Frank by getting the hell out of Dodge until his replacement is ready, plus maybe I'll get to have some social time with people in a similar position to myself "You Majesty, that would be much appreciated."

"Excellent. I will call Gervaise and have him set up rooms for you and Bill at his hotel, and also provide a daytime guard for you. Bill – are you amenable to driving Sookie to Baton Rouge tonight?"

"It will be a pleasure my Queen."

"Very well. I will inform Gervaise to have his DA contact Sookie during the day tomorrow. Go pack and I will see you on Tuesday evening. When you return, I expect you to be at the top of your game Sookie."

I saw Hadley grab Bill and give him a stern whispering, probably telling him to keep his inappropriate mouth shut again! I asked Bill if we had to leave right now or if I would have time to do some laundry, as long we were out of there by 4am we'd be fine. So I ran upstairs and got my bags so I could wash and dry the clothes I had taken to Bon Temps. I also checked my finances; Bill had helped me set up internet banking. I still had quite a few hundred dollars in my account so I figured maybe I could splurge a little on this trip. By half past three in the morning we were on our way. Bill tried to strike up a conversation about Frank again

"Sookie, you've done incredibly well in your learning about the supernatural world. However we have concentrated on vampires, we've only scratched the surface with regard to other Supe species. What Frank described to you has been going on for centuries and ..."

"I don't want to talk about it Bill."

"But it's perfectly natural for him to acquire another mate whilst still ..."

"What part of 'I don't want to talk about it' is it that's so hard for you to understand?"

"I thought you might like to understand a little better."

"Right now I'm angry, I don't want to understand. I want to forget I ever met him. In a few days I might be amenable to further discussion but when I'm ready to talk I'll let you know, until then keep all conversation Were and Frank free thank you."

"You know you will have a were guard in Baton Rouge? It has already been arranged."

"Yes, but I don't plan on speaking to him much. When do we need to check in with Gervaise?"

"It can wait until tomorrow night."

"Shit! I forgot to bring my bandanna."

"Is that important?"

"I need it to be scented by the Sherriff so vampires don't give me too much hassle if I bump into any."

"That will be unnecessary as I am accompanying you; I can scent you whenever required."

"I told you, I don't have my bandanna and I will not have you rubbing yourself all over me, I'll buy a scarf tomorrow, the scenting will have to wait until you rise."

"Under the circumstances I'm sure that will be fine Sookie, as long as it happens before you go anywhere that vampires might congregate. I would like to add that I'm disappointed that you don't trust me enough to let me rub my scent onto you directly."

"The scarf is a better idea then I don't need to be re-scented after every shower."

"Hence my disappointment."

I glared at him and he offered a sweet smile in return. The problem with Bill is that I have the reverse situation of other women – I know exactly where he's been, I know exactly what he does and from the donor's memories I even know his corny lines (Can I join you for a bite? – puhleese!).

The rest of the drive was silent and tense with Bill stealing glances at me the whole way. I was relieved to find our rooms were on different floors of the hotel. Bill was on the windowless top floor and I was 4 floors below. I left a message at the front desk that I'd be expecting visitors and they were to call me when they arrived. My room was small but clean and very nicely decorated, I hung up my clothes and wondered if Lucy Talbot would mind going shopping with me, this was her area after all so she would know the best places to go, but then I remembered Ms. Talbot's sobering outfit when I interviewed them. Still it couldn't hurt to have someone to bounce ideas off of and these people were my colleagues, I should make the effort to get to know them.

OoOoO

I was woken by the phone next to my bed screaming at me, I sluggishly sat up and answered. It was the receptionist at the front desk; Lucy was waiting for me in the foyer. It was only midday. There was a coffee shop next door to the hotel so I asked them to tell her I would meet her inside as soon as I was ready. I showered and threw on a cute baby pink button down fitted shirt, jeans and my sneakers and went down in the hope that some coffee and a pastry would wake me up a little.

When I opened my room door I was faced with a very large man, two-natured, smiley. After I got over my initial fright and promised myself to check for brains before leaving a room, I got him to confirm he was sent to watch over me by Gervaise. He said he was under instruction to keep a safe distance so as not to crowd me but never let me out of his sight unless I was going into a room with only one door.

In the coffee shop Lucy was sitting at a large table on her own, she nodded and smiled when she saw me, I waved back which seemed to shock her and moseyed to the counter to order a full fat latte with an apricot and raisin pastry, my guard sat at a small table on the other side of the shop. I set my tray on the table and noticed that Steven had arrived and was smiling at me.

"Hey Steven, you're stealthy! I didn't even see you come in!"

"How are you Miss Stackhouse? I was surprised to hear you'd be joining us."

"Well I've been better to be honest with you and its Sookie please."

"Okay, Sookie it is then!" He turned to the door and Bobby stumbled in trying not to drop his briefcase and the package he was holding. He smiled and nodded to us, laying the things on a free chair before going to buy himself a drink.

"Oh Lucy! I was wondering if you would mind coming shopping with me? I'd like to buy myself something nice to cheer me up and figured you'd know where to go."

"Uh ... sure ... Sookie. We've got our meeting to get on with but unless something serious comes up we'll have all day tomorrow."

"Excellent!" I smiled and noticed that they were very uncomfortable "Is something wrong? Oh my! I mean I've just imposed myself on your DA thing and totally not realised! If you have other things you need to do, please let me know, I don't want to be a bother to anyone." Steven and Lucy just looked at each other, then Bobby came over sucking on a cup of some kind of smoothie.

"Hey Sookie! How are you? Did you enjoy visiting with your family?"

"I had a lovely time Bobby, thank you for asking!" Shit I should find time to call Sam and ask how the Dawn patrol was doing.

"Oh! Mr. Northman noticed that you were without a cell phone during your visit and when he informed me that you would be joining our meeting he asked me to give this to you from him." He passed me the package he had brought with him, it was a brand new top of the line cell phone "It's fully charged and has many important numbers already programmed into the address book. He was concerned in case you got stranded in the area and had no means of communication."

"Wow! This is amazing. I'll be sure to call and thank him for this, I was going to buy one of my own when I got paid next. It's so nice of him to think of me!"

"Uh ... yes ... well Mr. Northman has been very interested in you, he asked me many questions about the conversation we had in Fangtasia."

"Okay, I'm a little surprised at that but he did tell me himself that he wanted to know everything about me. I guess they don't come across many tel ... people with my abilities. Me and my friend ended up in Fangtasia again the next night and he was very accommodating." Lucy snorted, Bobby threw her a look and Steven's face went bright red as he tried to hold in a laugh.

We finished our drinks and decided to move somewhere more private if we were going to be talking business. Lucy's office was close by so we walked the two blocks, chatting back and forth about the weather, TV shows and books, I kept checking behind me and sure enough big guy was still on our tails. We settled in a small conference room and Lucy made sure we had some snacks and water to keep us going. The three of them opened their briefcases and started taking out folders and notes, I felt decidedly out of place.

"Do you guys want me to be here? I mean if I'm intruding I can find something to do honest!"

"Sookie" Steven had that confused look on his face again "We thought you were here to keep an eye on things or take notes for the Queen."

"What!" I snorted with laughter "Really? Oh no! I'm here to get away from the compound for a couple of days! I'm not here on an official professional level really, there was an ... incident and the Queen suggested I join you guys and maybe throw a few ideas out there but I just thought it would be nice to socialise with you guys for a bit."

"Socialise? We're here for a meeting, not to socialise Miss Stackhouse!" Steven was a little pissed off by the looks of things. I took a deep breath

"Isn't it nicer to work with people you don't mind seeing socially though? We're all here, we're all humans working for vampires, we all work damn hard and we all need to work together so why shouldn't we get to know each other as if we work at the same office?" The three amigos seemed to mull that over "I just thought it would be nice if we could all get along and have some fun when the work day is done."

"And the Queen would be okay with that?" Lucy still wasn't sure

"Look, obviously this is a scenario that none of us have come across but honestly, I think if we get the work done there's nothing to stop us having fun. If we were getting together and partying but not actually doing anything I think she'd have a problem but not if we do what we came here for and just happened to use the rest of the time learning about each other."

"Sookie, that makes perfect sense!" Bobby was smiling now "Until last week we'd never seen each other face to face, we're all in our own little corners of Louisiana, the Sherriff's see each other socially why can't we?"

That seemed to make more sense to Steven and Lucy; I gave Bobby a wide grin and thanked him. The meeting wasn't long, there wasn't much to report. All of them had noticed Fellowship protesters but there hadn't been any violence, I pointed out that we had caught many of them taking photos of visitors to the compound, but we couldn't actually do anything about it so why not turn that around on them – take photos of the most fervent protesters so we can recognise them easier, everyone agreed and we decided to break it up there.

We agreed to meet up later for dinner at a restaurant near the hotel, it turned out that Bobby and Steven were staying in the same hotel as me, I just didn't see them between the checking in before anyone wakes up and sleeping until half their workday was done!

"Hey Lucy, I'm a little short in evening wear, is there a store nearby I could hit for something restaurant worthy?"

"We've got time, I could show you somewhere." She took in my present appearance "It might not be your style though."

I shrugged and said it would be worth a look anyway. We were walking along the street and I noticed her looking behind us

"It's my daytime security."

"Does the Queen think you'll be attacked?"

"Who knows, I'm glad he's there, even if it's only to stop someone swiping my purse!"

Lucy led me into a very upscale boutique, where the clothes were, surprise surprise, very conservative. The first thing I picked up was a black chiffon scarf then I found a nice black satin pencil skirt with a fishtail effect at the back, on the mannequin it was paired with a fitted tunic style top but I found a red sleeveless top with a square neckline and went to try on my choices. The skirt looked great but the top didn't look right, I went back out and picked a smaller size and it was better, it was a little tight across my boobs but made the outfit pop.

I thanked Lucy for her time and she nodded shyly. She was thinking that I seemed to be a nice girl and she wasn't used to meeting nice girls in her line of work, she wondered if I had the same problem. Hmm ... I _did_ have the same problem, the only person I had to talk to was Hadley and she wasn't available sometimes, plus she was a vampire - which made going for afternoon cake and hot chocolate a taboo activity. Lucy was practically next door, but you can't just say 'I'd like to have an understanding fellow female to bitch about stuff to when I've got PMT'.

"Lucy, this may sound weird but I was thinking we could kick back and spend some time just us girls before we meet the guys. I don't really get the chance to have girl talk in the compound seeing as the other women are ... well y'know ... uh ... donors or vampires."

"Oh Sookie! That's so true. Look, I just have to pop back home and clean up a little, why don't I get gussied up real quick then bring a nice bottle of Pinot Grigio to your room and we can do our make-up together and chit chat?"

"Sounds good, Bill will probably need to pop in when he wakes to ... check on me, but we've got a few hours before we need to meet Bobby and Steven. I'm in room number 325, just bang on the door when you get here." We shared a strange half-handshake/half-hug thing and I ran up to my room to shower (again) and change into my new outfit.

OoOoO

I was dressed and just smoothing my hair into natural curls rather than frizz with some light gel when there was a rapping at the door, I checked for brain activity and found it was Lucy. I bounced over to let her in and she grinned widely as she set down a couple of bags then put a bottle of wine and two paper cups on the table. I looked out my make-up as she poured us a drink, she wanted to ask some things about me but wasn't sure how to start

"So Lucy, how did you get into working with vamps?" I took a cup from her and sipped, it was a nice wine, not too dry, dry wine always made me screw up my face like I'd just sucked on a lemon

"Well, I was the PA for a lawyer who was dealing with some things for Gervaise. One day the police arrived at the office and arrested my boss for tax evasion and all of a sudden I was jobless, when I called Gervaise to tell him he'd need another lawyer he asked if I'd like to be his daytime person and that was that. I'm glad I made the change, doing errands for some who's dead for the day is easier than doing errands for someone who's spending his time with his mistress." I laughed and figured that was probably true "So you said that the vamps knew about you from your cousin?"

"Uh ... yes. When Sophie-Ann found out I was a telepath she couldn't wait for me to sign an employment contract. It's helped me a lot. Because I can't hear vampires, I get some peace and I've also learned how to control it a lot."

"So you ... live ... at the royal residence?"

"Yes, but as you heard Bobby saying, I have family in Northern Louisiana who I can visit when I have time off."

"Plus you have the added bonus of being in Northman's territory, I've heard he just has to walk into a room and panties start to drop."

"He's very handsome and charming, yes." I could feel the blush rising

"Mmmm ... yes I noticed he was gorgeous when we were in New Orleans. Anyway enough about work! Do you have a boyfriend, Husband, Girlfriend?"

"Uh ... well I had someone, I don't know if he could be considered my boyfriend, but we were close, I suppose. That's why I had to get away for a while, there was a ... disagreement. We're not together anymore."

"That's a shame, but surely you didn't need to leave NO to get away from him? It's a big city after all!"

"He was kind of my daytime guard, he's two-natured so I couldn't really read him and it made it easier to get to know him. It was because of his ... pack politics that we broke up."

"Oh, does it not work if both of you aren't two-natured?" I could read that Lucy wasn't being nosy or looking for gossip, she was just being sympathetic, which was nice, it made me want to talk about things.

"Not that. He had ... obligations to his pack and never told me, it came up when we were about to ... uh ... go all the way."

"Go all the way?" she snorted "Geez Sookie what are you 16? You'd think you were a virgin the way you say that!" I choked on the sip of wine I'd had then busied myself with some mascara "Wait. Are you a virgin?"

"If you must know, yes I am. It's very difficult to get close to people when you know what they're thinking."

"Oh of course. I'm sorry I didn't want to offend you or make you feel like I'm judging you ..."

"No Lucy, it's okay. I know it's a little odd being my age and still to take that step."

"Your telepathy, I get it. Y'know when I first heard about you I thought it would be so cool, I never thought about the way it would affect how you relate to people."

"Not many people do. I thought Frank was special, y'know, that's why I was willing to take the plunge."

"Why does it have to be someone special?"

"I'm not sure I get you."

"For your first time. Why does it have to be someone you think you'll fall in love with?" I shot her a look "Please, Sookie, hear me out okay. Love, real love between adults depends on so many things. You have to be compatible in so many areas for it to be real love and being sexually compatible is a pretty important one for continuous harmony."

"Okay I'm listening."

"My point is that you never know who 'The One' is until you've explored all those compatibility issues. I have great respect for women who save themselves for Mr. Right but honestly how many women your age do you actually know who are still with the man who took their virginity and happy years later?"

"Well one, my friend Tara back home but I think they're having problems so I guess she doesn't count."

"Losing your virginity is, at the end of the day, still just sex. It just happens to be the first time you have sex. It's rarely a magical experience and often very unsatisfying for many women, personally I was glad to have it over and done with."

"Really? It wasn't special at all?"

"It was special in that it was a first. The guy was nice and we stayed together a while but we grew up and wanted different things; I'll always remember him though. Unfortunately for you you've had to wait so long it's now a huge deal to lose it."

"So what do you suggest I do?"

"I don't know" Lucy sighed and poured some more wine "but one thing I do know, is that if guys find out you're a virgin at your age you'll be a prize, hell don't be surprised but if one guy finds out then there'll be a book running odds on who gets to nail you first."

"Really?" Just then there was a knock at the door, I checked and it was a void "I think that might be Bill."

Sure enough it was, he was smiling widely "Good evening Sookie and ..."

"Bill this is Ms Lucy Talbot, Gervaise's Daytime Assistant, we were having some girl talk before we go to dinner."

"Yes I overheard."

"You ... you did, how much did you hear?"

"Enough to know Ms Talbot here has a very accurate view on men." Bill laughed and we just looked at him.

"What do you mean Bill?"

"The bets, by the time we left for Baton Rouge around five of the were guards and 3 other male vampires had thrown their hats into the ring."

"OMIGOD! I can't believe this!" I sank onto the bed and cried; Lucy came over and put a supportive arm around me.

"Oh Sookie, I'm so sorry. They're just a bunch of insensitive jerks."

"It's not that, I can never go back there. All I'll have is men trying to get me in their beds; I'll never be able to trust any of them with anything!"

"I'm sorry Sookie; I thought this information may have pleased you, to know that so many men desire to be your first lover. Whoever it was would have to make a very good job of it; if you were displeased with his performance then he would be ridiculed. It's pretty high pressure." I marched over to the table and grabbed the scarf, throwing it at Bill.

"Just scent the damn scarf Bill and get out before I say something I might regret." I went and locked myself in the bathroom until I heard my room door open and close. Lucy tapped the door lightly

"The asshole's gone Sookie. I told him which restaurant we were meeting in and at what time so he could drop your scarf back to you."

"Lucy, thank you so much for just listening to me and, well, letting me know how horrible men can be. If Bill hadn't overheard you and told me about the book then goodness knows what would happen to me when I get back to the residence."

"There's one way to make this better Sookie." I looked at her "We need to get blind, stinking drunk and dance with strange men until very, very late at night."

"That sounds very 'Sex and the city', I like it! Thanks Lucy, I'm so glad I came here!"

We spent a little more time making ourselves pretty and I walked out of the room excited to be on my first real night on the town! I was nervous about eating in a fancy restaurant for the first time but when we got there I noticed it was called 'Gumbo Jumbo' and it was fairly casual. The interior had a large mural of a bayou on one wall and was filled with tables of people laughing and enjoying their food, I relaxed immediately!

Steven and Bobby were already there and Bill was standing chatting to them, we said our 'hello's' and Bill handed me my scarf back and left as he said the food smells were making him queasy. I tied it round my neck and asked Lucy to make sure it was sitting right; she asked why it was so important so I told her about Eric's idea while Bobby sat wide eyed.

"So that's why he had his shirt off when I came into the office?"

"Well, yes, why else would he ... oh."

"Oh! It's not like that Sookie, I know you're not the kind of woman who would ... uh ... in an office in a nightclub but he does like to try. I thought he had maybe come on a little strong."

I laughed and the atmosphere lightened. The meal was delicious and even Steven relaxed a little after some wine and good food. We chatted and joked until Lucy suggested we hit a club, I was very much into that idea, so was Bobby but Steven needed a little convincing. We all piled into a cab and Lucy told the driver to take us to 'Viva' and handed us all little cards.

"Guest passes. Gervaise owns a small bar near to it and they're always giving these to the customers."

We got out and stopped at an ATM across the street from the club. I could hear the bass pounding and had to stop me feet from moving. The line wasn't long and even when we got inside it was busy but not overly so. Steven and Lucy went to get some drinks while Bobby and I found a table near the dance floor. After a little while the table was abandoned and we were all on the floor shaking our booty and having a blast!

I danced with Steven, Bobby, Tony, Jonathon, Devon and of course with Lucy too. By the time 1am came around our group of four had merged with other groups out having fun and I lost count of the amount of people I had met, drank and laughed with.

OoOoO

Never. Again. I woke up with a splitting headache, probably from keeping my shields up so tight more than the amount of alcohol I consumed. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. My throat was parched; I hoped I remembered to set a glass of water next to the bed. As I rolled over to check I noticed a slight tenderness between my legs.

I rubbed my thighs together and wondered what could have caused it. I got flashes of memories from the night before. Lots of laughing, hugging people, kissing ... wait kissing? Touching, nice touching, I was ... happy, relaxed. Naked and ... wait, I still was naked. I snaked a foot further across the bed and felt it hit another person's flesh.

There was a very male grunt and an arm came around my waist "Mmmmm... Sookies"

I snorted with laughter. That had been Bobby's running joke of last night, instead of 'mmmm cookies' he kept smelling my hair and saying 'mmmmm Sookies'. Oh god!

**A/N: Thank you in advance to anyone who leaves a review. I hope you're all enjoying this fic.**


	9. Disenchanted Lullaby

**Sookie, Interrupted – Chapter 9 – Disenchanted Lullaby**

"Bobby?"

"Mm hmm. Youkay?"

"Uh ... I'm not sure."

There was another soft grunt then he went back to sleep. What the hell did I do last night? Think Sook, just think. I remembered the meal and going dancing, just like Lucy said we got stinking drunk and danced with men we barely knew and men we didn't know from Adam. I had a flash of dancing very suggestively with Bobby, then it was like a freight train. Memories were hitting me fast and hard.

_*****Flashback*****_

_I had drank too much and my shields failed, Bobby took me back to my room, he got me water to drink and he was thinking about how pretty I was and how much he wanted to touch me. In my intoxicated state I found his thoughts nice, I didn't want to block them out. I thought if only I had been able to read Frank so clearly I could have saved myself heartache. His imagination was so vivid; in his mind he was kissing me, stroking me almost reverently. Before I knew it I had moved closer and was kissing him, in my drunken haze his thoughts were fuelling my passion._

_I'd seen in plenty of guys minds, a lot of it was so disrespectful it made me want to puke but Bobby wasn't thinking about how he could use me, he wanted to pleasure me. As he removed my clothes and licked and stroked down my body I could hear him thinking about how good my skin tasted. I wanted to be part of this; I pulled him back up and grabbed at his clothes. When he was finally naked I noticed he wasn't as skinny as I thought he was he had a slim athletic build with a hairless chest and just enough muscle definition to show he went to the gym._

_I threaded my fingers through his soft brown hair and kissed him hard while he ran his hands over my breasts and tweaked my nipples. It went further and further, with him touching every part of my body. Pulling my knees around his waist and fluttering his fingers along my legs, up to my hips, over my stomach and lower until he found the spot that made me grind into his pelvis and the hard length pressed against me._

_I whimpered as he let go of me to grab his pants and rifle the pockets and inside his wallet, muttering 'thank fuck' when he found a lone condom. He laid me down and settled between my legs before rolling it on. He couldn't wait to be inside me, the feeling was mutual. As he guided himself to my core, I bit my lip, feeling myself stretch around him, it stung a little and I was sure if I'd been perfectly sober I'd be in a lot more pain._

"_Sookie are you okay?"_

"_I'm fine Bobby, I just didn't think it would be this way, this is my first time."_

"_Oh God! I'm such an asshole! Do you want me to stop? We don't have to do this."_

"_No Bobby. It's fine." I stroked his face "I know you respect me."_

_He kissed me and pushed a little further and let out a groan "Sookie you feel so good, I don't want to hurt you, let me know what you want."_

_I nodded and wiggled my hips to get him to move. It was nice, it was more than nice, it felt amazing. As he moved in and out every nerve ending in my body was tingling, he gripped my hips and lifted me. Kneeling on the bed with my legs wrapped around him, he used one hand to pull my hip to him and lightly caressed my body with the other, moving it down to my clit and stroking it lightly._

"_I want to make this so good for you Sookie."_

_I could feel the muscles in my abdomen coiling, then it was like someone gave me a static shock right where Bobby was moving in me faster and faster. My vision went cloudy and my body shuddered with the force of what he was making me feel. My insides were gripping him tightly as I came, his cock swelled and his eyes screwed shut _

"_Oh fuck!" He stiffened and shook and then fell on top of me panting. He was thinking how perfect I was and how honoured he was that I let him do that. He thought it was the greatest gift he'd ever been given and I couldn't stop the tears springing to my eyes with his sentiments._

_*****End Flashback*****_

But that was last night, now the cold light of day was beating down on us. I felt guilty, deep down I knew I had used him. I was feeling low about Frank and angry that the whole residence had bets on who was going to pop my cherry. I could only hope he would understand when I explained everything to him. I decided it would be better to talk with a decent rest, so I left a note for him asking that if he woke before me not to leave as we had to discuss what happened. I drank the full glass of water on the table and snuggled back under the duvet.

OoOoO

The sound of the toilet flushing woke me up once again, I blinked a couple of times and checked the time – 3pm. Bobby walked out of the bathroom and saw that I was awake, he looked very uncomfortable and was thinking about how he was a very bad man for taking advantage of a drunken virgin.

"Stop that Bobby! You didn't take advantage of me, everything that happened last night was on my terms; please don't think you're bad."

"Uh ... could you put your shields up please? I ... I did wrong. I found you very attractive from the first moment I saw you but I'm not in the habit of sleeping with people I work alongside."

"Me neither."

"I know! God! I know! I took your virginity Sookie! I'm a complete bastard! I should have stopped, I should have ..."

"STOP! I wanted it; I'm shocked at my behaviour. I feel like I've used you Bobby. I got so drunk last night because the guy I was seeing messed up and I had just heard that a bunch of guys were taking bets on who could sleep with me first. So Lucy took me out to get plastered but I never intended to have sex with anyone, but you were thinking such nice things about me."

"I guess I would get drunk if that kind of stuff had happened to me too but you didn't use me Sookie, I don't feel used at all."

I sighed and rubbed my face into the palms of my hands. My clothes were strewn around the room, I asked Bobby to pass me a robe that was hanging on the bathroom door. While I was wrapping it around me Bobby pulled his pants and shirt on and sat on the small sofa. We agreed to call room service for a pot of coffee and some breakfast foods and I went for a quick shower while we waited on it arriving.

The silence was deafening as we nibbled on toast and sipped our coffee. "Do you regret what happened? Was I ... was it bad ... for you?"

His head snapped up and he stared into my eyes "NO! It was ... you were amazing. Was it ... uh ... for you too?"

"Yes, I ... umm ... it was good. I liked it."

We shared a weak smile towards one another. I'd never been in this situation; I also never wanted to be again "So what happens now?"

"Well" he frowned into his cup "First off, I think we should limit the amount of alcohol we consume following meetings." He grinned at me "I don't think it would be a good idea to pursue a romantic relationship with us being so far apart and also our working together may be affected by any arguments we might have."

"Okay. This is very awkward. Bobby, last night you made me feel beautiful and I ... I want to thank you for that, but I also think you're right in that this will be a onetime thing. Do we just ... not talk about it or I mean ... I don't know how to act around you now."

"I know what you mean, this is ... very uncomfortable. I truly like you Sookie; I think you're a lovely woman with a bright personality..."

"And a nice rack?" I raised my eyebrow and he blushed, nodding and rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.

"Yeah that too. Look, this is going to sound horrible but please know before I say it that I don't regret what we did here and I don't want to forget it ever happened ... you can't let any of the vampires know they we ... that it was me who ..."

"I don't regret it either, I did at first before I knew how you felt about things but now I don't. I'm not sure why any of the vampires will care that you took my virginity though."

"If one knows then it'll get back to my boss. Mr. Northman has taken a shine to you and I don't think he'd appreciate his day man putting the moves on a woman he's trying his damndest to impress. Very few women say 'no' to Eric, he doesn't chase ... except with you."

"He's chasing me? I knew he was interested in me but he can have anyone ..."

"Sookie, the amount of questions he's asked me about you, the way Pam said he was acting around you, the cell phone – he doesn't do those things. Sure he can have anyone but he wants you."

"Oh." The knowledge that Eric wanted me wasn't a surprise but the fact that he was going to such efforts to know about me and impress me was. "So, we can just keep this between the two of us and try not to let it affect when we work together?"

"That would be for the best, yes." He looked so sad "I should have left for Shreveport hours ago; I should be on my way. I ... I had a really good time, not just the ... y'know but the dinner and dancing and spending time with you ... and Steven and Lucy, of course."

"Me too Bobby. We should do it again sometime without the whole intoxication and ... uh ... sex." He laughed and collected the rest of his things before giving me a peck on the cheek and walking out of the door.

It was an hour before sunset and I had no plans for the night. I took my new cell and checked to see whose numbers I already had in there. As suspected there were phone book entries for Bobby, Eric, Pam, Fangtasia, Steven, Lucy and the royal Compound main number. I took my little address book from my bag and added the cell's of Hadley, Bill and Jason, Gran's house and Merlotte's bar. I decided to call Sam; a gruff voice answered the phone

_Merlotte's bar Terry speaking_

"Hi. Is Sam available?"

_Can I ask whose calling?_

"It's Sookie Stackhouse."

_Jason's sister? Uh ... well I'll go get him_

Urgh! Why didn't I think it would be strange for me to call Sam and not Jason? Crap! It's done now.

_Sookie?_

"Hi Sam. How's things?"

_Thank god you called! Your Gran has been trying to get hold of you since this morning!_

"Oh my! What's happened?"

_Jason went round to Dawn's for a booty call and found Rene there, Dawn was already dead and Rene attacked him, he's in the hospital in Clarice._

"Is he hurt bad? Will he be okay? How's my Gran?"

_It's not too bad, y'know Jason's a tough guy. Rene managed to get a couple of hits in but Jay knocked him out. He'll be out by bedtime; he just had to get his nose set. Your Gran is there now, she's a little worried about him but otherwise fine._

"And Rene?"

_He was arrested for Dawn's murder, assaulting Jason and their comparing evidence to get him for Maudette too. Dawn's neighbour heard the crashing and called Bud._

"So it's over then? Jason is fine and Rene is in prison?"

_Yep, all thanks to you. Your Gran will be glad you're okay she was worried she couldn't speak to you._

"I'm not at my apartment, I'm in Baton Rouge. Look I'll give you my cell number, could you get either her or Jason to call me as soon as you see them?"

_Sure Sookie no problem, can I keep this number too? Just in case?_

"Yeah sure Sam. Thanks for all your help."

_No Sookie, Thank you and you take care now ya hear?_

"You too Sam. See ya."

I text Jason to give him my new number and decided to see how Lucy was feeling. In the 3 minute call I learned she was severely hung-over and had woken up on the couch at her apartment fully clothed. I checked the time I noticed that the sun was now fully set and my stomach was looking for food again. I was about to call Eric to thank him for my phone when someone knocked on my door. It was Bill

"Sookie, I am very sorry if my behaviour last night offended you but no matter what mood you are in we have to check in with Gervaise tonight. I saw him last night and explained everything but he expects us at one of his clubs by 10pm ..." He sniffed and his eyes darkened "Sookie who have you had in here?"

"Huh? I don't think that's any of your business Bill!" He walked right in sniffing around the room until he came to the bed.

"You had sex. With a human man. After all of your posturing about Frank's morality, you give it up to who? Some guy you met in a bar last night?"

I grit my teeth and balled my fists "Like I said, it's none of your business. Unless you had your name down to pop my cherry back at the residence." He at least had the sense to look guilty "Now I'm going to make a phone call, then I have to get something to eat. I'll meet you in the foyer in 30 minutes okay?" He nodded and left the room; I quickly changed into a black shirt and skirt and hit the green button to call Eric

_Hello Sookie_

"Hey Eric! I just called to say thanks very much for the phone, you really didn't need to. I was planning on getting one on my next pay day."

_And now you can buy yourself something pretty instead. It was no trouble and now we can ... keep in touch far easier. Tell me, has Bobby left yet?_

"Uh ... umm ... I'm not sure. We all went out last night and I know Lucy is in a bad way so ..."

_Hmm ... I'll try his cell again. I had no idea you were interested in seeing him socially._

"Well I'm interested in being social with all of my work colleagues."

_Really? Well that does bode well. I will see you ... later Sookie, possibly sooner than you think._

And then there was a dial tone. Hmph! Telephone manners costs nothing! I made sure I had everything in my purse and my scarf on and went to meet Bill. He was standing hissing words quickly into his phone, I had no idea who he was talking to but he wasn't happy with them. I distinctly heard the words 'I have to answer the call' before he hung up.

"Okay I'm ready to go Bill. If you could just stop at a burger joint or something on the way there so I can eat I'd appreciate it also you need to rescent my scarf."

"Yes Sookie, that's fine. I'll take you to the club but there is someone I have to meet with, I may not be able to return you to the hotel."

"Maybe Gervaise or one of his guys could give me a lift? Or at least make sure I'm in a cab."

"Yes, yes. Well let's go."

He was really tense, like more tense than usual. While he was driving he had tucked my scarf inside his shirt and gave me it back when we stopped so I could eat. I watched from the window in Wendy's as he sat in the car and continually tapped his hands on the steering wheel as I ate my burger as quickly as possible because he never fidgets, no vampire does, they don't have tics or nervous gestures. When we got to the club, there were two huge vampires manning the door, I was about to walk in when Bill stopped me

"Sookie, this is a private club, you won't be reading here, you'll be somewhere different tomorrow night. Things ... happen in a private vampire club, things you don't see out in the open so prepare yourself."

"What is it like orgy central or something?" I snorted and he just gave me a look, oh this was not good. Not good at all. "Bill, are you seriously telling me that you're going to dump me in some kind of vampire sex club without a guard and let me make my own way back to the hotel?"

"Not all of them have sex, but there will be feeding. I don't have a choice Sookie, You'll be fine, Gervaise will make sure you're okay."

"No way. Nuh uh." I dig out my cell and immediately wonder who the hell I'm going to call.

"Where did you get that? Who are you calling?"

"I got it from Eric and I'm calling ... Hadley!" His eyes got a strange look about them and he looked off into the distance as if ... listening. "Bill! Godammit, what is with you tonight?"

"Lorena" it was said in almost a whisper, then he turned to me steely eyed "I have to go NOW!" and off he went. I tried to fight back the tears as I watched him drive away, the doormen were watching me, probably wondering how the poor little human was going to cope. One of them licked his lips and I felt my stomach turn in fear. I dialled Hadley's number and waited.

_Hello?_

"Had! Had its Sookie! Something terrible has happened!"

_Sook? What's wrong honey?_

"I'm supposed to check in with the Sherriff, Gervaise, but Bill has gone off somewhere and left me to deal with it on my own! If it was just a bar I wouldn't mind but it's a private vampire club Hadley! Bill said that they ... do stuff in there and I'm all alone here."

_Fuck!_ I heard her heels click clacking on the floors. _Queen! Sophie-Ann I hate to interrupt but we have a major issue. Sook Just stay outside with the bouncers, don't go in on your own, can I call you back on this number?_

"Yes please hurry, the bouncers are looking a little hungry."

I waited and waited for that damn phone to ring, I felt guilty that when it did only five minutes had passed.

"Hadley?"

_No Sookie, its Sophie-Ann. It happens that the Northman is on his way there to check in with the Sherriff right now, he wanted to ... observe your work at Gervaise tourist trap tomorrow night. He will be there soon. Do you have a number for him?_

"Yes, I do, it's in my phone book."

_Good, find somewhere with humans where you can wait inside and call him with your location. A lone human female such as yourself would be noticed hanging around outside a vampire club. Did Bill say anything before he abandoned you?_

"Yes he said a name, Lauren? No, it was Lorena! That's it, then he said he had to go and he ... went. Is he okay? Is he in some kind of trouble?"

_I will deal with Compton's problems. This never should have happened Sookie. Be safe._

"Okay your Majesty. Thank you so much."

There was an all-night deli across the street that had a few tables inside so I went there and ordered a coffee. I was served by the owner, a very nice man called Ricardo. I called Eric as I got to my seat

_Sookie, are you okay?_

"I'm fine; I'm in the deli across from the privilege club having coffee."

_I will be there soon, I will accompany you to check in with Gervaise and you will tell me what was going on with Compton._

"Uh ... okay."

I dropped the phone back into my purse and wondered how much more messed up my day could get. I lost my virginity in a one night stand to someone I have to see on an almost monthly basis. My vampire guide abandoned me for some reason that was more important than following the Queen's orders and now a very sexy 1,000 year old vampire, who was trying to impress me, was going to escort me into a vampire club where I may or may not witness sex acts right in front of me. God? Why do you hate me?


	10. I'll Stick Around

**Sookie, Interrupted – Chapter 10 – I'll Stick Around**

I checked my watch for what seemed like the hundredth time, it was only 9.30, still plenty of time. Ricardo came and took my coffee cup away and asked if I wanted another, I politely declined, even though it was really good coffee I didn't want to be peeing all night. I decided to spend the time playing with my new phone, it had a really cool game on it and I was just getting a super high score when a shadow fell across the table.

"Glad you were able to keep yourself occupied." I looked up at a smirking Eric, Lord he was handsome! His eyes were twinkling with mischief as he sat down across the table from me. I tucked my phone back in my purse and smiled at him

"Hi Eric! I'm so glad you could help me out here tonight, it's very lucky you were available otherwise ... well I guess Gervaise might have come for me ... wait, why didn't Gervaise come for me?"

"When her Majesty called him he was ... busy. She is rather ... perturbed at his disregard for the situation you were put in."

"Oh. Well, I guess I should get this over with. You only need to take me in so I can let him know I'm here and then make sure I get in a cab or whatever then the rest of your night is yours!"

"We will check in with Gervaise, then speak of Compton's behaviour, after that I would very much like to spend some more time getting to know you better." The way he licked his lips gave me a funny feeling in my toes

"Uh ... um ... okay. I heard ... well Bill told me that private clubs are ..."

"More open?"

"If that's how you would describe it." Personally the thought of having sex and having vampires drink my blood in front of an audience could be described as disgusting rather than 'more open'. "I'm not interested in seeing or hearing and especially not partaking in anything like that so I'll just be quickly meeting with Gervaise and then getting back out."

He nodded "I understand you are more sensitive than most humans who involve themselves with our kind, however clubs like Privilege are quite common and very popular with younger vampires. I doubt this will be the last time you will have to enter such an establishment."

"Well, I'd still rather that it occurs as little as possible."

"Of course. Now, you are wearing a scarf. I assume that it has Compton's scent."

"Oh!" I didn't even think of that! I only have one scarf "Yes he did, will I have to get rid of it?"

"I would think so. Going into Privilege with one vampire and smelling like another would be ... very bad for your reputation."

I took the scarf off and considered putting it in my purse but before I could, Eric had plucked it out of my hand and thrown it in the trash. I looked at him, my mouth dropping open, my brain desperately trying to find the right words to say

"Looks like we'll have to do this the old fashioned way Miss Stackhouse."

Okay that really shouldn't have made me warm in my private places but it did. He stood and offered me his hand, which I accepted shakily. I saw his nostrils flare as I got closer to him and he looked at me with as much shock as I guess a vampire can muster

"My Sookie. You have been a busy girl!"

Work brain, work! "Uh ... it's been a wild few days since I saw you, that's for sure!"

"Indeed."

He led me out of the deli, looking for something, I'm not sure what. I was pulled into an alleyway, where once again Eric was looking intently at his surroundings. He took both my hands and fastened them around his neck before taking my waist in his hands and smirking at me. I was a little lost in his eyes, knowing that he'd be rubbing against me at any time and it took a second or two to realise that my feet weren't on the ground anymore!

"What are you doing?"

"Taking us somewhere more private."

I closed my eyes until I felt my feet hit something solid and opened them to find we were on a rooftop. My heart was pounding in my chest as I looked back into his eyes, he kept one hand gripping my hip and the other moved upwards to cup the back of my head as his mouth moved closer to mine. I felt like I was choking, I could hardly breathe with the anticipation, my ears were ringing as his lips brushed softly against my own before moving down to my neck. Oh God! Did he just lick my neck? I could feel the rough texture of his stubble against the juncture between my neck and shoulder, then I felt the scrape of his fangs against my soft skin

"Okay! That's quite enough for one night Mister!" I tried to get out of his grasp but he held me tight. When I looked up at his face he was smiling broadly.

"I wasn't going to bite you Sookie, it's just a struggle to control them with your scent."

"Can we go? I just want to get this check in over and done with. We're probably late as it is!"

He nodded and picked me up bridal style slowly floating back into the alley next to the deli. Eric put me down and I fixed my rumpled shirt before he took my hand once again and led me across the street to Gervaise Private Club. The bouncers nodded respectfully at Eric and one of them grinned widely at me, running his fangs down and making me shudder. Eric must have felt me shake as he growled at the scary vampire and pulled me closer, wrapping an arm around my waist.

Inside the club I thought it wasn't as bad as I'd first suspected. It just seemed to be vampires and humans milling around chatting and drinking, then we went through an archway into a larger room with beds in the corners ... occupied beds at that! I cupped a hand around my eyes to reduce my field of vision but in front wasn't much better. The humans were enjoying being fed from everywhere I looked, although I had been partly prepared for it to be shocking, it was different actually seeing it with my own eyes rather than experience the visions from the minds of the donors. I looked up at Eric, pleading him with my eyes to just find Gervaise and get me the hell out of here! The area Sherriff was in a booth in the corner with a half naked woman on either side of him. I saw a flash of anger in Eric's eyes as we approached

"I'm so glad you put your whore's comfort above that of the Queen's prized asset Gervaise."

"No need to be like that old friend! She's a big girl, she can look after herself." He looked at me, I felt greasy with just his eyes scanning me "You're not uncomfortable are you sweetheart?"

I didn't know what to say to that, I was very, very uncomfortable but if I said it out loud they'd just humiliate me further, luckily Eric was able to speak when I couldn't

"You will not address Miss Stackhouse in such a lascivious manner. You will dismiss these ... ladies, deal with the paperwork regarding Miss Stackhouse's stay in your area and then we will be leaving."

"Fine, fine. Come back to the office." Both of the women were thinking about how small-town and uptight I looked. One of them wondered if Gervaise would let her watch while he broke me in. I felt sick.

He slithered out of the booth and kissed one of the women passionately while thrusting his hand down the front of her panties. I felt so embarrassed and humiliated and ... innocent, I shouldn't be ashamed to be innocent dammit! Eric turned my head towards his chest and I heard the girls laughing at me as I was blindly guided down a corridor and Eric gently pushed me into a room and onto a sofa. Once he knew I was settled he turned on the Sherriff and pinned him against the wall by his neck.

"That was uncalled for Sherriff. Due to your neglect I have been requested to protect the Queen's asset, if that requires protecting her from you then so be it!" Eric let him go and Gervaise wandered around to sit as his desk as Eric sprawled across the remaining space on the sofa.

"I was just trying to have a little fun Northman."

"Well I didn't think it was funny!" possibly the most obvious statement I could ever make "I just want to sign whatever forms you need me to and get out of here."

"Miss Stackhouse, did you think that maybe you'll need to get used to this kind of behaviour? We are Vampire; we won't hide who we are and what we enjoy just because the Queen's telepath is in town! Besides, from what I hear you'll be having all sorts of fun when you get back to the compound!"

Eric narrowed his eyes, obviously he hadn't been informed of the high stakes betting at my expense "Well it's a shame they're getting worked up over nothing, the forms please."

"Nothing? Last I heard you had a queue of 15 waiting for you at the palace!" Eric turned to look at me with mild distaste

"They're waiting for something that no longer exists. The bets on who would take my virginity are null and void." I stood and slapped both of my hands on the edge of his desk "The forms Sherriff. Now."

As Gervaise busied himself in his desk I caught Eric's eye again, he seemed sad. When I turned back around there were the 3 basic forms I had signed at Fangtasia, I filled out one with the address of the hotel, signed the one to waive Gervaise protection if I left the area and picked up the acceptance of the Sherriff's claim form and showed it to Eric, he shook his head, I took that to mean he would be providing me with that protection seeing as we would both be in the area tomorrow night. I threw the unsigned form back at Gervaise and nodded to Eric to get me out of there.

When we got outside, I swear the air in down town Baton Rouge had never smelled so sweet! Eric held on to me as we walked around a corner but as soon as we were out of sight of the doormen I unwrapped myself from him and sank down to my knees against a wall sobbing. Eric hunkered down next to me and put a hand on my shoulder

"I'm sorry you had to see Gervaise displaying his most hedonistic behaviour, although the Queen hasn't given out any orders regarding how we should act around you, it would have been more respectful of him to take into account the clauses of your contract which make it clear you aren't familiar with these situations."

"Thank you Eric." I sniffed and rooted around my purse for a tissue, blowing my nose loudly "I ... I guess I just got used to the way everyone acted around me in New Orleans and you and Pam have been so nice to me ... I guess I know about stuff like this, I see it all the time from the donors, but I just wasn't quite prepared for it to be so ... so ..."

"Vulgar?"

"Yes!"

He nodded and waited for my sniffles to subside before offering his hand again and leading me to his car. Eric held the door open for me and waited until I was buckled up before starting the engine and asking me where I would like to go.

"Somewhere quiet, I still haven't told you about Bill."

"Indeed. I would also like you to explain the comments Gervaise made about your return to New Orleans. We are staying in the same hotel, perhaps we could speak in your room?"

I remembered Bill's reaction to the smells in my room and felt a chill climbing up my spine "No. Your room would be fine." He quirked an eyebrow "Uh ... what I mean is ... I don't have any uh refreshments in my room that you would be able to have so ..."

"Of course, blood. Very well, my room it is then." A smirk was playing at his full lips, yeah, he saw right through that one.

Parking for hotel guests was in a structure attached to the rear of the building and we entered through a back door next to the elevators. I was glad of this because I'd hate to imagine how terrible I looked and the reception staff already had a low opinion of me from the time I'd been here. As the elevator slowly made its way to the top floor I felt myself becoming more uncomfortable under Eric's gaze. Why he was so interested in Bill and what Gervaise said was anyone's guess, I just wanted to tell him what he wanted to know and curl up under the covers in my room until I had to read for the Sherriff the next night. Even then I wouldn't be able to escape my indiscretions, after all, it was in that bed I made my life more complicated and less complicated at the same time. Eric slid the key card into the slot on the door and let it swing open, indicating for me to enter first, I scurried over to a small chair and perched on the edge.

"So, firstly, what happened with Bill earlier? The Queen was a little vague."

"Well, he was real jumpy the whole time and he told me that he might have to leave me in the club to go to a meeting. Then when we got to the club he told me what went on in there and we argued a little. He said the name 'Lorena' and then he just ... left. I don't know who Lorena is but she's sure got him in a bunch of trouble I would guess."

"Lorena is Bill Compton's maker. When your maker calls you have to go, it's really not Bill's fault, it's a compulsion. If anyone is in trouble I would say it was Lorena, despite her child being employed directly by a monarch she still called him and forced him to abandon his project."

"Maybe she didn't know." He looked at me like I'd just asked him to put on a pink bra and hula dance for me

"The grapevine in the Vampire world is rampant – she knew."

"Okay."

"So on to other things. From what Gervaise mentioned I can gather that there has been some sort of furore surrounding your ... virtue, which as I can detect the faint scent of sexual activity, is no longer an issue."

"You gathered correctly. That's why I didn't go to check in with Gervaise last night, it's a whole sordid mess and I'd rather put it all behind me if you don't mind."

"You didn't check in with the Sherriff because you were losing your virginity?"

"What? No!" I sighed and saw Eric's face was set in an obvious 'you're not getting out of here until you tell me everything' expression. "Fine! When I got back to New Orleans I decided to get better acquainted with my boyfriend only to find that he's very loyal to his pack and had not been monogamous while waiting for me to ... get used to the more physical side of our relationship."

He looked bored but nodded for me to continue "I was ... hurt, so I came to Baton Rouge to spend time with the DA's while I waited on a new guard to be available ..."

"He was your security guard?"

"Yes." Now he looked interested "So I was telling Lisa, y'know Lisa Talbot – she's Gervaise DA – and she spoke to me about ... the issue and made a comment about guys taking bets on who would get there first."

"That seems very ... juvenile."

"It is and it's offensive too! Anyway, Bill came in and basically said that, yeah, there was a poll going on who would 'do' me first and I got all grrr and Lisa took me out and we got really drunk and I woke up the next day not a virgin!"

"Was it consensual?"

"Oh yes, completely. It took me a while to remember things in the morning but I was totally involved in the decision."

"Good. I'd have to kill Bobby otherwise." Mack truck in the face, recover quick Sookie!

"WHAT! I mean, I don't know what you mean."

"Oh Sookie!" He laughed, he's not angry! Was he just kidding? "I noticed you smelled of him earlier and the fact you made up some ridiculous excuse to prevent me from going into your room – the epicentre of the action I presume – just completed the puzzle. That and the fact he was extremely flustered when I mentioned your evening out together."

"He ... you can't tell him you know, he's scared in case you find out."

"Hmm ... well I can see his point, however he's misguided. I will not deny that I have an interest in you sexually but I'm in no position to reprimand or punish anyone for being in the right place at the right time. As long as he was respectful and ensured your enjoyment I have no problem."

"Then there's definitely no problem." Y'know those moments you wish you had a time machine to go back and stop yourself from saying things? He just raised an eyebrow and smiled "Okay! So now we've had an extremely awkward chat about my sex life or lack thereof and you've made me aware of your ... uh ... interest, I'll get going!"

"Sookie." I cringed on my way to the door and turned to look at him "I fear that your inexperience will make your working with vampires very uncomfortable. I understand that Sophie-Ann rescued you and she is natural in wanting to keep you to herself but you are in a gilded cage. Despite how nice your surroundings and treatment are – you still aren't experiencing the full world."

"I hadn't actually thought about that but after tonight I suppose you're right. Maybe I should speak to the Queen about visiting Bon Temps more often?"

"I would always be pleased to see you in my area Sookie. You should seek independence; I think you'll find it suits you."

"Thank you Eric. I guess I'll see you tomorrow night for my reading at the bar?"

"Yes. Shall we meet in the foyer at 9pm?"

"That's fine. I'll see you then."

I turned to face the door and took a step forward to find Eric in front of me; I was so shocked at the speed of his movements I just stood there as he pulled my head towards him and kissed me. Wow what a kiss it was! I could feel it in my eyebrows! It just went on for the most wonderfully long time before he let my lips go and I could breathe. He opened the door for me and guided me out with a hand lightly at my back

"Until tomorrow Sookie."

I tried to say goodbye but I think it just came out as an incoherent mumble. I shambled back to the elevators and had thankfully recovered somewhat by the time I closed the door to my room. Oh my!

OoOoO

I slept very late the next day; it was almost 3 before I was roused by my phone. It was Lisa wanting to know if I checked in with the Sherriff okay, there followed an awkward moment where I wondered whether to say 'it was fine' or whether to tell the truth

"To be honest Lisa, it was highly uncomfortable. I had to check in at Privilege ..."

_Oh no Sookie! I'm so sorry! That place is ... just far too intense for ... well ... someone with your ... uh ..._

"Inexperience?"

_Yes. So did you recover from Friday night okay? I was like hell yesterday!_

"I noticed when I called you. I had some ... recovery to do I guess."

_Hey did Bobby get you back okay? I know he and Stephen were going to meet for breakfast but Bobby didn't turn up._

"He made sure I was back in my room but I didn't see him again after he left me." That was the truth, so help me God.

_He sent me a text saying he had a great time so he must be okay right?_

"I'm sure he's fine Lisa. I'm gonna grab some breakfast and chill until I meet Eric tonight."

_Eric? What happened to Bill? Not that I'd take Mr. Morose over the blonde Adonis any day but ..._

"Bill had to go somewhere unexpectedly so Eric is taking over his protection of me."

_Well lucky you doll face! If I don't see you before you go, I'll call you in a week or so, maybe have a night just us girls huh?_

"Sure thing Lisa."

I dressed quickly as I was famished, opened my door and waved to my Were, then went to the coffee shop of more of their yummy pastries. When I was done I still had hours before I had to meet Eric so I decided to take a stroll around the stores nearby, I didn't have a great deal of money left but I would get paid again in just over a week so my situation wasn't completely dire. Once I'd bored of being frugal I removed myself from temptation and decided to surf the internet on my laptop on my room.

Soon it was 7pm and I decided to shower, change and get something else to eat. If I was going to a tourist bar something black would suffice, I picked out jeans and a nice top to wear with my heels. I really needed to expand my footwear collection! Once again the Were followed me to a small Italian place which seemed fairly informal and I had some amazing ravioli. I checked my watch, plenty of time to wander back to the hotel and meet Eric. Just as I was leaving the restaurant, the Were came over and took my arm

"There are two vampires who have been watching you in the restaurant; they aren't part of the area team. Are you meeting your night guard soon?"

"Yes, in the foyer at 9pm."

"Good. I'll wait with you until he arrives."

We hurried back to the hotel where we found Eric waiting in a chair next to the reception reading a magazine. The Were filled Eric in on what he had noticed, and also that the two vampires he'd seen nosing around were now nowhere to be seen. Eric nodded to him and offered his arm to me, taking me out the back door to his car. Once we were inside and buckled in I decided I'd like to be kept in the loop

"So what do you think those vampires wanted?"

"You."

"For my gift?" he nodded "But why wouldn't their boss just ask the Queen to borrow me?"

"Because then they'd have to pay her for your time. If they kidnap you they get a telepath, blood and sex without spending a dime."

I blanched "That's horrible! I can see why the Queen likes me to be escorted at all times though. I guess she'd be pretty pissed to lose me when she's invested so much."

"Now you're thinking like a vampire Sookie." He grinned at me and pressed a little harder on the gas, before I knew it we were outside what looked like a gothic funhouse

"Nosferatu's?"

"Yes. Gervaise always had a flair for the dramatic."

"I prefer Fangtasia, at least it has humour."

"Thank you."

He nestled a hand at my lower back and ushered me inside. It was awful, all of the waitresses looked like Sally from 'The Nightmare before Christmas' and I'm pretty sure the cobwebs in the corners were actually real. The seats were hard black plastic and the tables were dirty and cigarette scarred. Eric pointed to a table near the dance floor and I nodded, he beckoned a waitress over as we sat

"What can I tempt one of the dark ones with tonight?" Holy crap, I hope they get paid a lot to say stuff like that!

"I will take a Royalty Blend and ..." Eric looked at me

"Oh! A ginger ale thanks!" She sneered at me, wondering what the hell such a gorgeous vamp was doing here with a plain Jane. That stung a little. She walked off putting so much sway in her hips she almost lost balance.

"Are you okay Sookie?" Eric placed a hand over mine on the table, which, again, was surprisingly affectionate for a vamp.

"I'll be fine. I can read some of the staff from here but I'll need to move around to get everyone so you might need to dance with me at some point."

"Not a problem."

I spotted Gervaise in a corner, with another scantily clad woman. I don't get it, he doesn't seem like a nice guy, he's not particularly handsome yet he has girls hanging off him like Brad Pitt without a wedding ring. The Sherriff came over to the table, followed by his female du jour, and greeted Eric and I.

"Miss Stackhouse, Northman. Is there anything you need?"

"No thanks Sherriff, I'll be just fine right here."

"May I present Carla, my pet."

I shook her hand lightly; she'd been glamoured so many times I'm surprised she still had basic motor function. Just then I saw Eric's eyes flick back towards the entrance.

"Have those two vampires checked in with you yet Gervaise?"

"Yes, arrived last night from Las Vegas, just passing through apparently. Say they'll be leaving tomorrow night."

"Interesting."

Gervaise nodded and they made a silent, intense eye contact mojo where it seemed they agreed to keep an eye on them. Eric explained that Las Vegas was ruled by a very ambitious vampire named Felipe De Castro, apparently he was quite willing to stoop to great depths to have more power. That made me very nervous, but the two visitors were just milling around, chatting with fangbangers.

After 2 hours they left. Eric came to the conclusion that it was a scout mission, checking out what I looked like, what my security detail was like, if I had a set schedule. Scary stuff. By the time the bar was closing I'd discovered three waitresses dipping the till, a dancer was being blackmailed by the Fellowship into giving them information, and 4 of the regular fangbangers were actually underage. Gervaise was not happy, so in revenge for his treatment last night, Eric and I skipped out and left him to deal with it on his own.

Eric was still a little concerned about those Las Vegas vamps and went driving around for a good while before heading back to the hotel. We just chatted about mundane things while we travelled what I see in people's minds, what kind of gifts Eric gets sent in the mail from crazy fans. We had agreed that he would drive me back to New Orleans the next night and set a time to meet up. Since he already knew about Bobby, I didn't see the harm in agreeing when he asked to walk me to my door. I had just put my card in the slot when he spun me round and smothered my mouth with his own. God he could kiss! If I never ever kiss another man, I'll be okay with that, his kisses were just. That. Good. When he let me breathe I muttered something about not being ready, I felt like kicking myself after saying it, because there were parts of my body that were very ready, unfortunately my brain wasn't one of them. He took my face in his hands and looked me right in the eye

"I'll wait."

And with that parting shot, he walked away from me.


	11. Long Road to Ruin

**Sookie, Interrupted – Chapter 11 – Long Road to Ruin**

I slept fitfully, dreams of Eric in an animal skin, being kidnapped by Vegas Showgirl vamps and having a make-over at the hands of a multitude of donors made me feel more tired when I woke up than I had been when I went to bed. Dragging my carcass to the bathroom, I splashed cold water on my face to try and clear my head relieved the pressure on my bladder and checked the time, 4.30pm! I had a shower and called room service for some food, throwing clothes on while I waited for my toast and eggs to arrive. Eric had asked me to meet him at first dark in the lobby, which would be around 6.30 at this time of year. I managed to make it downstairs by 7, Eric was pacing a little.

"I'm so sorry it took me so long to get here, I slept late and I had to wait for food and ..."

"Sookie its fine, I was concerned that you had gone out and something had prevented your return."

"Oh well, again, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you."

He smiled and nodded, offering me his arm to escort me to his car. I decided to use some of the travelling time by catching up on some phone calls, I asked Eric first if he minded – I didn't want to be rude! First I called Gran to make sure everything was okay with her and Jason, apologising profusely for not calling earlier. They were both fine, although Gran mentioned that old Jessie Compton had been found dead in his house. She didn't know any details other than Saturday he'd called Danny at Grabbitqwik to deliver some groceries but on Sunday he didn't answer his door, Danny called Sherriff Dearbourne and that's how they found his body.

I called Hadley to find out what exactly I was coming back to, she almost deafened me screaming down the phone when I told her I wasn't a virgin anymore. I promised to give her more details when I got to the compound but until then just let everyone know how good a time I had in Baton Rouge.

"Damage control?"

"You could say that. I don't want to go back there and find any creeps lurking around waiting to try and seduce the poor virgin." He laughed at that "It's not funny Eric! Do you know how ... humiliating it is to know that guys are lining up to have sex with me just because I'm a virgin and for no other reason?"

"I imagine it's very disconcerting. If it's any consolation I wanted to have sex with you before I established your ... innocence."

"Uh ... thanks?"

"I'd like to change the subject. I'm curious as to how those Nevada vampires knew you happened to be in Baton Rouge this weekend. Who have you told about your employment and what it entails?"

"Well my Gran and Jason know but they didn't know where I was. I told Sam Merlotte what I did for a living, I also told him where I was but that was, like, an hour before Bill got called by Lorena."

"The Nevada vamps checked in the same night as us, it's possible that they were lying in wait for information from him but it's doubtful. We'll have to question this Sam Merlotte but if he's clear then that only leaves the employees under the Queen. That is most disturbing. Sophie-Ann has kept your existence a fairly poor secret but I know for a fact that your schedule is to be kept under wraps for the very reason of your safety. The last thing she wants is for you to have to travel with an entourage of security."

"You said before that only you and Pam were aware of who I was and what I'd be doing in your area. Is that the case with all of the Sherriff's?"

"Yes. It was a direct instruction from her Majesty and I have adhered to it strictly. I have other concerns though. Do you think it was coincidence that your guard was called to his maker and scouts from another state showed up on the same night?"

"So you think whoever leaked info to De Castro also arranged for Bill to be called?"

"Yes. If I hadn't been so ... interested in your work then you would have been left prone to many things."

"That's ... scary."

"Quite."

I think I spent the rest of the trip in shock. We arrived at the compound and Eric handed his keys to emmenthal Paul and stared into his eyes as he asked him to take special care of his 'baby'. Hadley was waiting in the hall for me with another girl, she was around my height, with a heart shaped face and her brown hair was styled in a fashionable pixie style. Eric excused himself to go and make his report to Sophie-Ann

"Sook, this is Amelia she's a witch and we asked her to ward your room, she's also my landlady!"

"Hi Amelia It's nice to meet you."

"You too Sookie." I read that Amelia hadn't thought much of Hadley, a vampire, moving into her spare apartment, but once she got to know her and saw that she didn't cause any trouble she was fine with it.

We all went upstairs, I noticed Hadley looked really sad and that bothered me. I hoped we'd have some time after Amelia was finished so I could try to help her. In my room Amelia unpacked a hoard of witchy paraphernalia and started stinking the place up a treat, she asked for a personal item, so I gave her my toothbrush, I had a fresh one in the bathroom in case it got ruined. I thought it would be really interesting, but I couldn't understand a word she was saying or what she was doing so it was actually pretty boring – and smelly.

"Okay I'm done here, let's just test it out!"

She asked Hadley to go out of the room and try to come back in, it was like an invisible force field blocked the door. I invited her in and she was able to enter but when she went back out she couldn't get back in again!

"That's amazing! Does it just work with vampires or will it work with ... uh ... other beings?"

"Should work on everyone, let's try it on me."

We done the same thing with Amelia and it worked just as well. She reached into her bag and handed me a personal alarm, apparently this had been given the witch treatment as well, making it three times as loud as it was originally. At least if it didn't stop me being killed, my attacker would probably be deaf afterwards. Amelia left and it was just me and my cousin.

"Hadley, I know something's wrong. Can you talk about it?"

"Things are just ... hard right now Sook. When Soph turned me I thought it would be amazing but ..."

"Did you guys have a fight?"

"Not really, it's politics. Right before we found you, Peter Threadgill, the King of Arkansas made a marriage proposal, Soph turned him down but a couple of weeks ago he came back with another offer and she's considering it."

"Umm ... okay Bill didn't really talk to me about this stuff. Does she love him? I mean, why does he need to make an offer for marriage?"

"Well, vampire marriages are mostly for politics, to join the states, share the wealth, yadda yadda. I think I've only heard of 2 or 3 that have been made for love."

"So if she doesn't love him then what's the problem? The states join and you two still have your feelings."

"She doesn't love him but when vampires marry they are no longer able to take other vampire lovers and have to solidify the union, sexually, once a year. There's no way me and Soph could be together if it goes ahead and I'll be lost without her!"

She sank to her knees and cried deep red bloody tears. I hugged her tightly to me and rocked her back and forth. This was horrible! I wondered if there was anything I could do to make it better but my only talent was finding out what someone's favourite ice-cream was without mentioning the subject! I don't even know why the Queen would consider having a union with Arkansas – there's nothing remotely interesting to vampires there, maybe he was blackmailing her? Louisiana is a rich state for vampires, New Orleans was the vampire capital for the USA, so it's easy to see why he would be interested.

"Had, you mentioned an offer. Do they have lawyers and stuff to do all the paperwork?"

"Yeah but I don't know if Soph will want you in on this, I know what you're thinking Sook."

"I thought I was the telepath!" I slapped her lightly on her upper arm "I'm just wondering why she'd consider an offer from a state like Arkansas."

"She gets proposals all the time; De Castro is the worst offender." My heart almost stuck in my throat when she mentioned his name "I think she's going with Arkansas so he'll leave her alone."

"That's a shame she feels like she has to do that. I'm going to talk to her about it. I need to get more into vampire stuff, that visit to the private club really hit home about how little I actually know about vampire life. I want to be involved as much as possible so I don't get anymore nasty shocks."

"Sook, that makes sense in theory but" she sighed, she didn't need to but she did anyway. "Just be careful okay?"

"I will."

Hadley cocked her head to one side and said that Sophie-Ann wanted to see us in the conference room. I asked her if the Queen had 'called' her and Hadley explained that Sophie-Ann's vampire gift was that she could keep her children with her always and communicate with her mind through the maker/child bond. I found that interesting as it was, essentially, a form of telepathy! Sure it was localised but I thought it still counted.

We got to the conference room at the same time four donors were leaving, when we entered Sophie-Ann, Eric, Andre and Waldo were sitting at one end of the table. I felt a pang of jealousy at the fact Eric had fed from one of the donors; that surprised me, I mean how else was he supposed to feed? While the general public were under the impression that Vampires could survive on only synthetic blood, it was a public nicety for most of the undead. I guess it wasn't the actual feeding that got that little green monster going but the other intimate aspects that were usually linked to drinking blood.

I composed myself and tried to shake off my mood when Eric smiled at me, I was tempted to throw him a dirty look. My inexperience and lack of knowledge was once again making romance difficult. Just like Frank had obligations to his pack, Eric had to feed. I suppose the difference would be that Eric could feed from me, no! I didn't want to go down that path, I'd seen the donors and the pets. I didn't want to be like them. Controlled, dependant, submissive, I actually wished Bill was there for me to ask more questions, despite it being unwelcome at times he always told me the facts and had never lied to me to make me have a rose-tinted view of the world I was in.

The Queen addressed me and told me what Eric had reported and asked if I had anything to add, I didn't, he'd told her all about Bill and Gervaise' behaviour and also my reaction to the incident at Privilege.

"Sookie, The Northman has observed your discomfort at moderate vampire behaviour first hand and has suggested that I am perhaps prone to coddling you. Do you agree with this opinion?"

"To be honest your Majesty, I had no idea that the acts I witnessed in Privilege were commonplace among Vampires and yes, it shocked me. I understand that you're aware of my seclusion from the outside world and realised that I wouldn't be able to handle too much too soon. I don't think you were coddling me, but I think perhaps I'm ready to be exposed gradually to things I'm likely to find on a regular basis in my work for you."

"That is an interesting idea. How, pray tell, would we engineer this gradual exposure?"

"Well ... for the most part I'm only present for your dealings with humans. I often pose as your assistant for these, would it be ... unseemly ... if I actually _was_ your assistant and was present for your dealings with Vampires also?"

"I'm a Queen Sookie; I can have whoever I want as my assistant. This would give you exposure to some potentially violent, bloody and sexual situations; however, it would also take work away from Hadley as she takes care of most of my administrative work." Sophie-Ann looked at Hadley "On the other hand it would give Hadley more time for pleasurable pursuits."

Hadley was smiling; she turned to me and leaned in close "I _hate _administration!"

"Well, the only problem remaining is whether you think you can handle it Sookie."

"I want to be ready the next time I leave court for another area. At least here it's more controlled and I have more support while I adjust to things."

"It's settled then. Northman, Sookie, Andre, you will accompany me to my office."

Eric placed his hand on the small of my back to usher me into the Queen's office and sat very close to me on the leather sofa next to her desk. Sophie-Ann sat in her big wing-back chair and Andre stood to her right and a little behind as always. As I suspected this private meeting was about the Nevada Vampires turning up at the same time my usual Vampire guard got called by his maker.

"If Eric hadn't been there do you think they would have taken me?"

"It's possible" Sophie-Ann's eyes flashed with anger "Although even if you had William with you, he's still young, he could have been overpowered easily if the two Vampire were like aged or a little older than him."

"Majesty, I think the most important part is that they knew that Sookie was in Baton Rouge this weekend. There was one person Sookie informed of her whereabouts and it seems unlikely he was the leak due to time scales, he was the only person not in your employ who had the information."

"Yes Eric. That is ... disturbing. From this point onward we will not be scheduling your visits to other areas, the only ones to know when and where you are going will be myself, Andre, Sookie and ... I was going to say Bill but we have no idea where he is or if he will return. We will need to find you another Vampire guard Sookie." She smirked at me "New guards all round; you will meet Tom Drummond, your new day guard, tomorrow."

"Will I know my new vampire guard? How will we know who to trust?"

"That is a very important question. The vampires I trust most to protect an asset are in this very room Sookie." Andre grunted, Sophie-Ann might trust him but I sure as hell didn't. I looked at Eric; he was looking at Sophie-Ann "Northman, will your child be able to watch over your area for a time?"

His mouth twitched "Pamela is very competent, I'm sure she would do an adequate job for a short while."

"Excellent! We will begin investigations into Bill's whereabouts as soon as possible, when he is found, Lorena will be punished for going against my commands and he will resume his role."

"Excuse me?" I waved my hand "Does this mean that Eric is my night guard for now?" They all nodded. Well it looked like we'd be getting more time to get to know each other after all.

"He is a known warrior and you are already ... acquainted." Her lip curled up in a sly smile. "Or were the rumours of your loss of innocence in Baton Rouge false?"

"What? No!" her eyebrows flew up into her hairline "I apologise your Majesty! It's just that ... we didn't ... it wasn't ... urgh!" I took a deep breath "The rumours are true however it happened before I was placed in Eric's care."

"Oh! I see. Well you cannot blame me for assuming. Eric has a certain reputation when it comes to ladies. I am not the only one to come to this conclusion but perhaps, now that he is here guarding you, it would be best if we just ... didn't correct anyone else's assumptions?"

"I don't really know what that would accomplish Majesty. Wouldn't it just make me look bad, if everyone thought I had ... been with my guard after everything with Frank?"

"If you were Eric's human people would be less likely to approach you with malicious intent. As I said he is a known warrior. As to your reputation, again, I have previously mentioned his ... skills ... with the fairer sex. In fact, many would think you unbalanced if you _hadn't _yielded to him."

"His ... human? Like a pet? I ... I don't really want that." I turned to Eric and he was smirking "No offence meant; I'm sure you're a very kind Master but ..."

Eric placed a hand on my knee and looked at me "You are an asset to the Queen – you could never be as lowly as a pet. Your talent raises you to a completely new status, perhaps ... companion, while I am staying here, would be more suited?"

He looked at the Queen and she smiled and nodded, Andre grunted – again. Would I have to have sex with him even though I wasn't really ready? Would I have to let him drink my blood? What if I had to drink his blood? Sophie-Ann's voice brought me out of my hurricane of questions.

"I think we're done here for the time being, Hadley is waiting for me in my chamber. I have a meeting tomorrow night with some visiting vampires from Arkansas. Sookie, I expect you to be in the conference room at 8pm sharp."

"Certainly your Majesty."

I walked out of her office in a daze. Did I just agree to let everyone think I'd had sex with Eric and that I was now his human? I felt his presence at my side as I wandered back to my room.

"Eric, what just happened?"

"As you had no vocal objections at the time, you agreed to perpetuate the rumour of my taking your virginity and also to become my human companion."

"That's what I thought. I think we need to talk, my room is this way."

He nodded and walked beside me, dwarfing me in his shadow from the wall lamps that lined the maze like corridors of the compound. We passed many vampires and other staff and were stared at unashamedly. I unlocked my door and wandered in, flicking on my coffee machine and digging out my favourite mug. I was sniffing the milk to make sure it was still okay after I was out of town when I heard Eric clearing his throat at the doorway.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, please come in! Everything over the last few days has really fried my brain!"

"It's quite understandable. Sookie, your room reeks of magic."

"Yeah. Hadley's landlady, Amelia, she's a witch and came round to put wards on my room. Once someone goes out they can't get back in without an invite."

"This works for all species?"

"Yep. We tested it out on Hadley and Amelia." I finished making my coffee and sat down on the small sofa, indicating he should join me "So ... how exactly is this ... companion thing going to work? I know how pets are treated and expected to act but you mentioned that I would be ... higher on the totem pole than them so this is unknown territory for me."

"It is unknown to me also. I have had human pets before, centuries ago mind you, and I had a bonded human once but your companion status would be somewhere in between the two."

"A bonded human? What's that?"

"It is when a human and vampire exchange blood enough times to have a mutual connection, they feel each other's emotions, sense when the other is in danger, they are unable to lie to each other. It is a serious thing, for a vampire to allow a human to see or feel that part of them; the human feels the desire to be close to the vampire – giving the vampire more control over them. It works best if the relationship is ... romantic or at least amicable. Bonding to a human you feel nothing but hate from would be highly uncomfortable not to mention volatile."

"I see. So we wouldn't be bonded but I would be trusted and regarded more than a pet - who is used for blood and sex and errands?"

"I would never use you Sookie, it is evident that there is an attraction between the two of us so sex shouldn't be a problem. I have Bobby and some other human staff to run my errands; I prefer to pay someone a fair wage for their loyalty than to attempt to control them. You would sit at my side rather than at my feet to relay your raised status. The only ... sticking point ... is blood."

"You wouldn't want to control me or make me submissive? Isn't that how I'm supposed to be ... as a human whatever?"

"Some vampires may want that. Younger vampires without political sway like to use their control of their human to make them feel powerful. I'm 1,000 years old, a highly regarded Sherriff and have no insecurities about the amount of power I hold. The only thing I would ask is that you do not disrespect me in public, we all have a mask to wear."

"Well I know all about deference, it was made clear to me my first week here. I'm confused, what exactly would change between us?"

"Only a couple of things" he smirked "We would be expected to have a physical relationship beyond kissing and you would be expected to provide your blood to me."

He said it like it was no big thing; oh hey Sookie just let me sink my fangs into your juicy artery! I excused myself and went to sit in the bathroom for a while so I could think. Would the extra protection it would grant me be worth it? The 'more than kissing' thing I could handle, it's not like I didn't anticipate that happening at some point anyway. It was the blood thing that bothered me. I thought about the donors, they seemed happy; they seemed to enjoy being fed from most of the time. My fears of having my blood taken really only pertained to having it taken by force, or being drained. Would he need a lot? Would I enjoy it like the donor's do? Crap! The only way to answer those questions is to ask Eric. I took a deep, calming breath and went back out to the sitting area.

"You seem overwhelmed Sookie. Are you well?"

"Uh ... I'm okay, I guess. I just had to take a minute to get my head around things." He nodded and looked concerned "Eric I'm apprehensive about the blood stuff and I'm being ... pushed into this whole thing, so are you for that matter. It's not the most comfortable situation."

"I agree, I would have preferred for our relationship to progress at a more natural pace." He moved closer to me on the couch and brushed my hair behind one of my ears "The things we need to do as a vampire and his companion are perhaps a little more ... commitment than I had planned on but I'm sure it will work out."

Commitment. The word seemed so ... serious. Not that I was the type of girl to usually even contemplate having a sexual relationship without any form of commitment, I was still having flashes of shame about my one-night stand with Bobby. It was also a strange word to use as Bill had already told me monogamy wasn't the done thing with Supes. Great! Like I needed another issue to contend with!

"You say commitment Eric but what does that word mean to you, really? I know from what I've been told many humans would be punished for ... straying and that the vampire can basically do what ... or rather who they want. That's not commitment in the sense that I have come to know it."

He pulled back a little with a slight frown furrowing his brow "My commitment to you would be your care and safety, I am not unfamiliar with the human notion of monogamy, I just haven't had cause to practice it. This arrangement is temporary, only required for the duration of my stay here to guard you. I can conform to your ideals for that time, after that who knows, I may enjoy it so much I'll want to take you home with me!" He winked.

I sighed, that wasn't exactly comforting but he was willing to keep it in his pants unless I asked him to take it out and he indicated that any relationship we might have may extend beyond his time here. Considering a couple of months ago I thought I'd either be in Valmont trying to fend off the pervy guards or living a hermit-like existence with my Gran, I feel like I've come a long way with interacting with the opposite sex. Eric is ... gorgeous and funny and I like spending time with him, his kisses made me tingle all over and as the Queen said – I'd be crazy _not_ to yield to him.

"Okay, I think I can handle this." Eric smiled and I stood up. "So I guess we'll need to smell like each other huh?" I nodded towards my bed.

"Sookie that's an offer I definitely can't refuse!"


	12. Wheels

**Sookie, Interrupted – Chapter 12 - Wheels**

I walked over and sat on my bed, I expected Eric to sit next to me but instead he knelt in front of me and ran his large hands up both of my arms, finally cupping the back of my head and pulling me towards him until our lips met. His tongue was cool as it tentatively flicked out and sought entrance to the warmth of my mouth and I allowed it – relishing the sensations that his kisses wrapped my body in. Hands roamed by body until they settled on my thighs, parting them widely and pulling my body closer to the edge of the mattress until our pelvises were touching, then moved back up over my stomach and around my back in an embrace that ensured that not even the thinnest sheet of paper could be inserted between our bodies.

Unsure of what to do with my own hands, I decided to emulate Eric's actions. Feeling the taut muscles of his arms under his shirt. Stroking his shoulders and threading my fingers through his long, blonde hair. I was surprised at how soft his hair was and while I was contemplating the silky strands flowing from his head, his mouth moved down to my neck, nipping lightly at what turned out to be a very sensitive spot below my ear. Eric pulled away a little and looked me in the eye.

"It's been a stressful few days for you. We won't have sex tonight but it would be wise for me to mark your neck, although I would prefer not to."

I was confused.

"But you said we'd be expected to have sex? Don't you want to? Is it me? Why don't you want to mark me?"

"We are expected to have sex but I'd rather it was because you wanted to not because you felt you had to. I very much want to and I don't want to mark your neck because I prefer to feed from ... other areas but just for tonight I'll feed a little from your neck to make a ... visual statement."

"Oh." I cleared my throat and swept my hair away from my neck. "Will it hurt?"

"It won't hurt if you're properly prepared." His mouth went back to my neck and his hands brushed over my breasts making my nipples stand to attention. "Just relax; you'll hardly feel a thing."

I nodded and he came back up to kiss my mouth. I felt like I should be doing more, rather than just ... sitting there, so I pulled his shirt up a bit and ran my hands along the smooth skin of his back. I heard a rumble from his chest and felt his fangs run out against my tongue, curious, I flicked my tongue against one and felt the sharp sting as it nicked me and the slight metallic taste of my blood. Eric growled and sucked, letting out a moan then shifting his attention back to my neck.

"Sookie." He pinched my hard peaks, making me jerk slightly. "Concentrate on what I'm doing with my hands."

More nodding, I didn't think I could speak now if I even wanted to. I did as he asked and thought about his hands moving from my breasts and slipping inside my shirt, stroking the skin of my stomach and coming back up to lift my natural bounty from the constraints of my bra. The skin on skin contact made me shudder and gasp as he rubbed his thumb in a circular motion over one bud and pinched the other. I felt his fangs scrape against my shoulder and stiffened.

"The hands Sookie, where are my hands."

Right, the hands, I relaxed and shivered as one of his hands moved south, cupping my sex and rubbing through my jeans. The seam was pressing against my bundle of nerves and making my whole body throb. I pushed down onto his hand with my hips and arched my body as he continued to caress my taut nipple and moaned. I know my experience is extremely limited but damn I've never felt this good! Thinking of what Eric was doing to me now, both of us fully clothed, made me very excited about how amazing doing naked things would be!

The hand between my legs was moving in focussed circles on my clit and I started to grind against it involuntarily, letting a drawn out 'ahhh' escape my lips. I was aware of a slight burning pain against my neck before I came violently, clawing at Eric's shoulders and groaning through gritted teeth. I shook with pleasure before slumping against his chest, breathless, I could feel and hear him chuckling as he licked at the wounds.

"Okay." I was still panting slightly "Now I know what's in it for the donors!" He let out a booming laugh and sat back to look at me.

"Sookie, you are very unusual. You taste different, sweeter, and your reaction to my touch is almost as satisfying as your blood. Any reservations I had about our companionship have been dismissed, after feasting on the nectar from your veins I would be downgrading to feed from anyone else."

"That good huh?"

He nodded and stood up, bringing the buckle of his belt to the same height as my eyes, I noticed the straining fabric across a very large bulge and felt very guilty all of a sudden. After he made me have an orgasm without removing a stitch, it obviously got him worked up too. The thought of touching him intimately was appealing yet intimidating. Is it polite to offer to take care of that? Isn't that what I should do as his companion? I cleared my throat and pointed to it.

"Uh ... do you need me to ... I know I've never done that kind of thing but I could try, if you want?" Eric cocked his head to the side and smiled at me before taking a seat next to me.

"Some relief would be appreciated but not necessary, your scent and the delightful noises you make are almost worth the frustration. I'm aware of your inexperience and I am perfectly willing to allow you to practice your techniques on me." He winked and scooted back to sprawl across my bed, elbows propped on the headboard and legs akimbo.

"Well, now you've just made me all nervous!"

"Don't be. I was only joking, well I was a little bit serious – you really would be more than welcome to touch me whenever you desire, but I believe tonight has been adventurous enough for you. I don't want to scare you away."

"Oh." I relaxed and moved so I was sitting next to him with my head leaning on his chest. "Thank you."

I was surprised at how comfortable, natural, it felt to curl up next to him and that the lack of heat from his body and absence of a heartbeat didn't bother me. It was peaceful yet not lonely. I glanced at his crotch and noticed that his excitement wasn't as prominent, I was relieved but a little disappointed, now I was relaxed in his embrace I was feeling a little more confident but I quickly decided to let sleeping dogs lie and talk to him about more serious matters.

"Where do you think Lorena took Bill?" I looked up at him, his brow was slightly furrowed in thought and he started absently stroking my arm.

"The last I heard of her she was in Seattle, the Queen informed me this evening that she called Bill almost a week ago for the first time in 50 years. Sophie-Ann might be a Queen, but even she can't get in between a maker and their child – so she spoke to Lorena and was informed that it was not vitally important for her to have Bill at her side. Lorena agreed not to call Bill again until his project was over or it was her very existence at stake."

"So that's why Lorena will be in trouble. If she knew she'd be punished for calling him why would she do it?"

"Lorena is ... unstable so there's a chance she thinks it's perfectly appropriate to go against a Monarch's request. Bill is fortunate that he gave full disclosure to Sophie-Ann or it would be his head we were hunting for." I sighed, being a vampire didn't sound as freeing as a lot of humans thought it was.

"Tell me something about you Eric, something you would only tell your companion."

"I like to snuggle. Your turn." I held back my laughter at the fact that a 1,000 year old vampire like to snuggle and thought about what I could tell him that he didn't already know.

"I eat Skittles, y'know little fruit candies, in order of colour. Yellow first, then green, orange, purple and red last."

"That's just weird."

I shrugged and checked the time on my alarm clock, there was still two hours 'til dawn. I asked Eric if there was anything he needed to do but he said that there was nothing so important that it would trump snuggling.

OoOoO

I woke the next day under the covers with only my shoes and jeans removed. At some point the night before I must have fallen asleep in Eric's arms and he put me to bed. I checked to see what time it was – 3pm, Lordy! If I start sleepin' any later I won't need a daytime guard! I walked into the bathroom and caught my reflection in the mirror. The marks from Eric's feeding were ... neat, tidy and the skin around them wasn't bruised like I see on a lot of the donors, I wondered if Eric always fed like that or maybe he just went easy on me since it was my first time. I showered, dressed and called my Gran.

_Stackhouse residence, Adele Stackhouse speaking._

"Hi Gran, how are you?"

_Sookie child! I'm ... well I think I'm okay. How are you?_

"I'm fine" No point in scaring her by telling her everything. "What do you mean you think you're okay?"

_It's the strangest thing, I saw cars over at the old Compton place and decided to go and see if I had new neighbours, y'know to introduce myself, last night but ... I just stayed at home and watched TV instead, it's like I just forgot to do it._

"Hmm ... maybe you're coming down with something? Have you been taking your vitamins?"

_I think so, maybe I'm just tired. I'll make sure I go to bed early tonight!_

"How is Jason? Is everything okay back in Bon Temps?"

_Oh my, what a to do! Jason is fine, Arlene is heartbroken and Catfish Hennessey is a man short. Not much else to say really._

"Okay, well I'm meeting my new daytime guard today so I'd better run."

_What happened to Frank? Did they move him because you were close?_

"Sort of, I'll explain everything on my next visit. I love you Gran."

_Love you too sweetheart!_

I made a coffee and called down to security, a man called Tom who had a very gruff voice said he'd meet me in the dining room. I gulped my daily dose of caffeine and went downstairs, a few of the staff I passed looked at me strangely, especially my neck. I wasn't sure whether I should have tried to hide the marks by putting make up on them or wearing a shirt with a high collar but I figured they were there for a reason.

I got to the dining room and grabbed a plate, piling it high with bacon, pancakes and hash browns before looking around to see who was there. A couple of early rising donors were glaring at me, I decided not to explore their thoughts, then I noticed a mountain of a man sipping from a mug and reading a paper. I'd never seen him before so I figured he must be Tom. I made my way over and sat across the table from him.

"Hi, I'm Sookie Stackhouse."

I offered my hand and he looked up, smiling broadly. He was an older gentleman, with salt and pepper hair and eyes that crinkled when he grinned. I checked his brainwaves and was met with a red, snarly mist. I know Were's age much the same as humans but Tom could have been anywhere between 40 and 50.

"Tom Drummond" He grasped my hand and shook it firmly "Nice to meet you Miss Stackhouse. I met with Frank and he told me a little of what your day was like, I understand he was supposed to be teaching you how to drive."

"Well, we went out in his car a couple of times."

"Uh huh. Yeah I heard the rumours, would it be fair to say he didn't get round to instructing you much at all?"

"Uh ... well ... I guess that would be fair. We spent most of our time just hanging out with each other and going for walks."

"Well missy, that's gonna change. You asked to learn to drive and by golly I'll do it if it kills me!"

I nodded and ate the rest of my breakfast in silence as Tom told me all about himself. He was from Dothan, Alabama and served in the military until he was injured in the first Gulf war. Tom was part of the unit that guarded the vampire sleeping quarters and he and Frank had switched places when he came back from visiting his family yesterday. I took my empty plate to the counter and we walked out to the parking lot.

"Now Miss Stackhouse ..."

"Please, call me Sookie."

"Okay Sookie, I have a couple of cars at home, I usually drive a truck but I brought my wife's Golf. I thought it would be easier if you learned in a smaller vehicle."

"Oh ... okay, is that for manoeuvres and stuff?"

"It's easier for parking, turning in the road, reversing. Once your confidence is better we can maybe change up to my Corolla but for now you just need to get the basics under your belt."

He handed me the keys and smiled warmly. Okay, so let's just throw Sookie in at the deep end! I puffed my cheeks and blew out a big breath; after I adjusted the seat and mirrors I slid the key into the ignition and started her up.

Two hours later we hadn't left the driveways of the residence, but I was quite confident in my abilities. I had mastered the basics and Tom assured me that tomorrow we would be out on the big bad roads of New Orleans so I could add to what I picked up today. I entered the dining room with a spring in my step, the furthest I got with Frank teaching me was 'This is used to steer the car' and 'this pedal makes you go fast, this one makes you stop'.

I decided to have a small, rare steak with baked potato and sour cream followed by Chef Dalton's apple and cinnamon crumble. I sat at the table with Tom again and we swapped family stories while we ate. More donors trooped in as I sat back and patted my full stomach; one of the girls from last night narrowed her eyes at me. It was so ... _hateful_.

_Fucking bitch, I had him first but the Queen's little project decides she wants him and the cow just hands the Northman to her. She won't keep him; I've got what he needs._

Her thoughts were so venomous it was almost painful. I've read a lot of hate from people but it's never been directed at me so viciously. She noticed me staring and quickly turned her gaze, obviously remembering what I am and why I'm here. Tom glanced at his watch and stood.

"It'll be dusk soon. Mr. Northman requested that you be escorted to his room at sunset, he expressed a great ... desire to see you as soon as he rose this evening."

"Oh? Do I have time to freshen up?"

"Sure, we've got time as long as you make it quick."

I looked back at the hateful donor, her name was Gina and she'd been perfectly friendly towards me until today, it made me sad that she all of a sudden despised me just because I was Eric's companion. Tom walked me to my room and insisted on waiting outside while I cleaned up quickly and grabbed my laptop, 10 minutes later we were walking down to the vampire wing. I'd never been there before, all available entrances were guarded by Were's during the day and no humans were allowed. As we approached I saw Gina arguing with Will, waving her arms wildly like it would make him see her side of things. I stopped Tom so we could watch things unfold.

"Look, Will, I heard in the dining room that Mr. Northman needed a donor at sunset. He fed from me last night and I'm sure he would be very angry at you denying him my attention right now!"

"Gina you're a fucking trip you know that? Sherriff Northman requested that his companion, Miss Stackhouse, be brought to him when he rose, not just any donor. No humans other than Miss Stackhouse are to be allowed into the vampire wing, he might have fed from you last night but I doubt he'll want a hamburger now he's got steak."

"Fuck you Will! She's not steak, if anything the freaky bitch is tofu! What the fuck is this companion shit all about anyway?"

"For fuck sakes Gina just get out of here. If you're such a treat I'm sure he'll search you out." Will looked at Tom and me and nodded to us; Gina turned and stared before smirking at me.

"Oh I think he'll be searching me out before too long, some needs require an expert."

I was incensed, it was one thing to feel insecure in my own abilities but this girl was making out that I would fail as Eric's companion. I managed 9 years with crazy people, fighting off sleazy guards and I survived, I succeeded in keeping my own sanity despite the circumstances, I'll be damned if I'll let Gina think I'm weak and can't make the grade when all I have to handle is one Vampire!

"Well, Gina, when he needs an expert in desperation I'll recommend you. Now would be a good time for you to leave, unless you want to be reported as trying to gain entry to the vampire wing without a summons."

"Pfft." She walked right up and stuck her finger in my face. "He'll get bored and come sniffing around soon enough."

"That's not what he said last night." I flicked my hair back to show the marks he left. "Apparently, compared to me, other blood is downgrading. In his own words."

Yeah bitch, I'm not taking your shit lying down! Roll that in your tampon Little Miss Hamburger. Her eyes flashed with anger and she stomped off back towards the donor suites. Tom and Will looked at me with amused expressions. Will looked off in the direction Gina went.

"I'll need to report her for this, if I don't we'll have donors trying to get in here every night. I'll call Northman's room and tell him you're here."

He picked up a phone that was on the wall and Tom entered the code in a panel next to the door, went we walked through there was another door with a different code, beyond that there were another 2 guards who nodded at us as we passed. Tom stopped and rapped at Eric's door, there was the click and buzz of electronic locks being disengaged, it reminded me of being back in Valmont, then Tom pushed the door open and told me to go in.

I closed the door behind me and peered into the dimly lit room, a lamp got turned on and I saw Eric hanging up the phone on a desk in the corner, he was just wearing a pair of sleep pants and his swoon worthy (as proven by me) chest was fully on display. He smiled brightly and made his way to where I was standing, pulling me into his arms and nuzzling the top of my head, inhaling deeply before leading me to sit on a small sofa.

"I hear there was a little issue at the entrance to the wing."

"Yes. Gina, the donor you ... fed from last night, she overheard that you'd summoned me and thought that any donor would do."

"Hmm ... that happens a lot with donors. Some of them overestimate their importance and think they should be afforded privileges they haven't earned. She'll not be back in the residence after her display."

"Does what she did mean she should lose her job?"

"She tasted bitter and sounded like a cheap porn actress. It was almost an embarrassment to feed from her – for that alone I think she should be fired. Showing up trying to gain access to a restricted area in order to fulfil some kind of ego trip just seals her fate."

"Okaaaay. So ... uh ... you called for me." He nodded. "For ... ?"

"Oh just to solidify your importance. I instructed the day guards to make it widely known that you are my companion and that I require your presence upon rising each evening I'm here."

"Do you really require me or is it for show?"

"It's not often I get the chance to feed directly after waking, I don't require it necessarily. So it is mostly for show but I wouldn't be dismissive of any offers you feel inclined to make."

"Well if you need to feed at some point it's probably better to do it now before we go to the meeting." I checked my watch. "We've got 45 minutes."

"I fed well yesterday, at my age I don't need it every day but I always take advantage of readily available food sources."

"Okay I'm confused. Do you want to feed or not?"

"I want to but I'd like to dedicate more time to it. I will shower and dress, then we will make our way to the conference room."

I sat on the sofa and waited for him as he showered, taking in the opulent decor of the room. Less than ten minutes later he walked out completely naked.

"Oh my God!" I covered my eyes and wondered if he'd forgotten I was here.

"Sookie." I heard him laughing as he said my name. "I'm so used to women clamouring to see me naked. You are ... a refreshing change."

"That's nice and all but could you put some clothes on?"

"Certainly my dearest companion." I heard the rustling of cloth on skin and peeked through my fingers to see him pull a pair of jeans over what could possibly be described as a work of art! "There, mostly covered!"

I brought my hands away from my face, feeling a little guilty for peeping at him. He threw on a Fangtasia shirt and held his hand out to me, grasping my small hand in his; we walked in silence to the conference room. Sophie-Ann, Andre, Hadley, Waldo and the Berts were all there and nodded to us as we entered and took our seats at the table. I set up my laptop and glanced at Sophie-Ann who was staring at me and Eric with an amused smile.

"I see you two are getting familiarised with one another." I was slightly confused until I remembered we had still been holding hands when we came in.

"Yes ... uh ... we're getting to know each other quite well." The Queen quirked an eyebrow at me and turned her attention to Eric.

"Is the ... companionship working out favourable for you Sherriff Northman?"

"Very." Eric smirked and rested his arm on the back of my chair, lightly stroking my shoulder. "I may want to take her home with me."

Sophie-Ann's eyebrow went into overdrive and she drummed her short fingernails on the mahogany table. She sniffed the air and tilted her head to the side.

"Interesting." She sat up and clasped her hands in her lap. "Well the Arkansas representatives will be here in 10 minutes, before they arrive I'd like to go over what we'll be doing here tonight." Everyone nodded. "We are negotiating a marriage contract between Louisiana and Arkansas, Sookie there may be a human lawyer or two with them but I doubt it, listen in anyway. I am wary of a union with any state, however I am also tired. I receive up to 10 proposals every week and rejecting those takes up time I could be spending elsewhere. If Threadgill has a fair offer on the table I will be inclined to accept."

It sounded so sad; vampire politics are even more depressing than human politics. I sat up straight and opened a new document ready to take notes, Eric moved his hand down to rub circles on the small of my back, leaning one elbow on the table and keeping his body turned towards me. I looked up from my screen to see all eyes were on us and felt a flush rise in my cheeks; luckily I was saved by the Arkansas group being escorted into the room by Melanie. While 4 of the group took a seat, one female vampire remained standing.

"Queen Sophie-Ann, I am here to represent my King Peter Threadgill in these negotiations. I am Jennifer Cater." Sophie-Ann just nodded in her direction. Then Jennifer's eyes rested on me. "Ah! I see you have provided a gesture of goodwill! This human will be most satisfactory to my leader!"

Eric removed his hand from my back and growled deep in his chest. Sophie-Ann held a hand up and said his name quietly.

"You are mistaken Ms. Cater, this human is my assistant Sookie Stackhouse. She is also the companion of my most trusted Sherriff Mr. Northman."

"The telepath!" Jennifer said it in almost a whisper but immediately her eyes darted towards two of the group, human men. I instantly zeroed in on their thoughts and was met with wild panic. Both of them were desperately trying to think of song lyrics, movie lines, anything to keep their minds occupied and prevent thinking the wrong things. I started typing on the blank page, nothing interesting – just my name, who was in the meeting, the date, but it scared the bejesus out of them.

_Oh god! She knows something! I bet it was Gordon, I bet he was going over everything in that puny brain of his!_

_Fuck, that idiot Carl must have been thinking about no, no, no. Shit! Amazing grace, how sweet the sound._

"Yes Ms. Cater, the telepath. Have you met my children?"

"I haven't had the pleasure your Majesty."

Sophie-Ann introduced all of her entourage and I kept reading the two lawyers, noting their reactions to everyone. My continued typing had gotten them very nervous, so much so that they started sweating which alerted every vampire in the room, especially Sophie-Ann.

"Let's get started, the humans you have brought with you seem to be less than stable. I don't need my conference room smelling of fear for the next week."

The meeting continued, offers were made, rejected, modified, accepted and Sophie-Ann was very impressive. She refused to budge on what she would accept as part of the union and how much she was willing to give. Everything had been fairly amicable, apart from the two lawyers; they were still shitting their pants. Three hours later papers were being stuffed in briefcases and I was doing a spell-check on the minutes I had taken. Sophie-Ann moved to take the seat next to mine.

"Sookie, what did you get from the two human lawyers?"

"Most of the cast of Fame and a recital of well known songs used at funerals." Everyone looked at me like I'd gone nuts. "They were deliberately thinking of other things to prevent me picking anything up. Something stinks and it's not just their B.O."

"That's very good to know. You can use the printer in the communal office off the foyer to print out any notes; I will expect a full transcription to be in my hands by tomorrow evening. I will be dealing with area business tomorrow night, so you won't need to be in my office until 10pm. You are dismissed."

I nodded, packed up my things and followed Eric out of the room. I wasn't sure whether to reach for his hand again or not, I'd quite enjoyed the hand-holding thing and wondered if Eric had too. We'd only gotten 10 feet away from the conference room when Eric pushed me up against the wall and kissed me very, very hard, eliciting a squeak of surprise. I was gasping for breath when he released me.

"You just made two grown professional men sick with fear just by being in the same room as them."

"And that deserves a kiss?"

"No, the fact that you had more influence over their fear than a broadsword on a table would deserves a kiss. You're powerful without threatening physical harm and that is a major turn-on."

Oh my!


	13. Everlong

**Sookie, Interrupted – Chapter 13 - Everlong**

Eric picked me up bridal style while I clung to my bag and screwed my eyes shut; moving at vampire speed was giving me a little motion sickness. Less than a minute later I was unlocking my door and inviting Eric inside, I dropped my luggage on the sofa as we passed then I was bouncing on the bed. Eric was standing over me, fangs out, hair framing his beautiful features, his blue eyes darkened with desire. The thought occurred that this was all for me, all because of me and it was pretty empowering I'll tell you!

I reached up and pulled his mouth on to mine, feeling the sharpness of his teeth I remembered he hadn't fed yet, then I remembered the previous night and a delicious shiver made its way down my spine. Before I knew what I was doing my hands were pulling at his shirt and we were tangled around one another, stroking, caressing, squeezing, licking and nibbling. It felt wild and out of control, it felt ... amazing. I mimicked Eric's actions, grabbing frantically at his clothes and worshiping every inch of exposed flesh with my hands and mouth as we rolled around on the bed.

I had a brief twinge of disappointment when we were both naked and Eric was hovering over me, I never thought I'd enjoy having my clothes taken off so much. My eyes met his and we were still, only for a second or two, his lustful gaze was propelling me further into an abyss of excitement as I watched him move down my body. My attention remained with those two azure orbs until his lips wrapped around my nipple, my body arched against him and my head pressed back into the pillow as I gasped in pleasure. He was ravishing my breasts, switching from one to the other like he couldn't decide which one was best, my entire body was throbbing and I could hear my heart pounding in my head.

I lifted myself on my elbows a little and stared at him, all of him, kneeling between my legs, he looked like a god, a very aroused god, with 'I don't think that's gonna fit' sized equipment. His hands softly rubbing up and down my body, stopping to pinch the hardened buds he had bathed with his tongue then down to massage my thighs. One hand snaked around the back of my neck before he leaned forward and kissed me. As our tongues danced I felt his other hand probe my folds, his fingers sliding effortlessly, spreading the moisture he found to my clit and lightly circling it. I moaned into his mouth and reached out with my hands to feel him, any part of him, grasping at his shoulders, back and hips until I worked up the courage to stroke my fingertips along his manhood.

It twitched a little at my touch and felt nothing like I'd imagined it would, like velvet covered steel. Eric must have noticed my attention waning from what he was doing to me, I heard him say my name and as I looked at him he pushed a finger inside me. He smirked at my widened eyes as he pumped his digit in and out, my hips moving to the same rhythm, when he pressed down on my clit with his thumb I groaned and gripped his arousal in my small hand. He hissed and I pulled my hand back, thinking I'd hurt him but he grabbed my hand and put it back around him where I started squeezing and moving my hand up and down his shaft.

Eric moved further down the bed, with the object of my interest out of reach, I worked my hands through his hair as he buried his face in my mound and thrust his tongue into my dripping hole. I was lost in the sensations of him licking, sucking and using his fingers to find an extra sensitive little spot inside. I was out of control, bucking into his ministrations, feeling something wonderful build up inside, my eyelids fluttered and the edges of my vision became clouded.

"Look at me Sookie."

I forced my head up to see him suck on my pearl, then place his thumb over it and turn his head to the side. I was panting, moaning, coming before he sank his fangs into my thigh but when he bit I exploded in a bellow of gratification, my entire body shuddering under the force of my orgasm. Gasping for breath I watched him finish feeding and tenderly lick the wound while petting me softly as I came down, Eric sat back on his heels and stroked himself with the same hand he'd used on me, spreading the fluids that had spilled onto it over his rigid member. He grabbed my shoulders and pulled me up so I was straddling his thighs and placed himself at my entrance.

"This will be better for you, I'm too large for some, don't try to take me all at once, go at your own pace, just let yourself get used to my size."

I nodded and mumbled a breathy 'okay' as he put one arm around my back and gripped my hip with his other hand. I pushed down a little, it was fine, so I pulled back and pushed down a little harder, it stung like a mother fucker and I instinctually bit down hard and sucked to stop a mewl of pain as the tears prickled at my eyes. Eric lifted me back up, a growling noise coming from his chest, then I tasted it. The rich, metallic taste of Eric's blood was in my mouth; I pulled back from his shoulder and looked at him.

"Omigod! I'm so ..." I was cut off by his mouth attacking mine. When he broke off the kiss to let me breathe, he growled into my neck.

"We'll talk about it later, right now you really need to keep going before I lose control."

Yes Sir. Whether it was his small amount of blood coursing through me or I caught a second wind from his words turning me on, I lowered myself onto him once more. Moving slowly this time, the pain gave way to delicious rapture, and soon we were pressing our pelvises together and grinding against one another, every thrust was harder than the last. We were grunting, pounding, clawing, untamed and ravenous. Eric pushed me back to lie down and grazed my clit with his thumb before pulling almost all the way out and driving back into me, again and again, pressing harder on my nub every time until I felt myself contract around him.

I yelled and wailed as he picked up speed, drawing my orgasm out to the point I was almost crying in ecstasy. His arms strained and quivered as he fought against the tightening of my muscles that were almost forcing him out from the warm sheath of my sex. Seconds after my orgasm, he roared in completion and slowed his hips, both of us riding on a wave of satisfaction until he flopped to the side and pulled me into his arms. I was slick with sweat and shaking with exertion, as Eric was still next to me, stroking my arms and purring softly.

"That was incredible."

"Mmmmm ... I have to say, Sookie, your inexperience is outweighed by your passion and exuberance. It has been a long time since I was satisfied like that."

"Uh ... Okay. So you enjoyed it then?"

"Very much so."

"I think my brain melted, thank you." We both laughed and found ourselves gazing into each other's eyes again.

I shivered as the endorphins wore off and sat up to wriggle under the sheets on the bed, when Eric felt me move he joined me beneath the covers, pulling me back into his embrace and inhaling my scent. I looked at his neck and saw ... nothing, wherever I'd bit him there wasn't any evidence of it, he must have noticed my search for my indiscretion and quirked an eyebrow at me.

"You guys heal so fast! I'm sorry ... I wasn't thinking, I didn't mean to take your blood. Am I in trouble?" I figured if I'd pissed him off we wouldn't have continued our ... our what? Sex? Fucking? Love-making? Whatever it was it made me feel like a passionate goddess, I didn't remember feeling like that with Bobby.

"No you're not in trouble, it was unexpected and believe me when I say that if it had been any other woman who done that they would not survive to see the next day. We vampires don't give our blood to just anyone and it's usually offered, not taken." I cringed and apologised again. "Are you aware of the effects of having a vampire's blood?"

"Kind of, Hadley told me a little about it when Bill offered me his. I had ... an incident, my shields failed at a reading and things got a little crazy. He thought I was sick but I just needed some quiet."

"And what did Hadley tell you?"

"She told me that the vampire would be able to feel the human's emotions and have control over them, that it would heal and make them ... umm ... more ... horny."

"That's about right, I will be able to sense your emotions within a certain distance, any injuries you sustained during sex will be healed and you probably will be very easily aroused." His nose nudged my head to one side and he nuzzled into my neck, I felt a tingling between my legs and agreed wholeheartedly with the arousal thing.

"What about the control?"

"I already told you I had no interest in controlling you. I must point out that this wasn't a simple case of you having my blood, there was an exchange and that marks the beginning of a blood bond. It will wear off in time unless we have any more ... accidents."

"You seemed to enjoy it but I promise I won't bite you again, this whole companion business is wigging us out enough." He licked my neck and nibbled on my earlobe.

"Mmmmm ... I agree, now, shall we see how easily aroused you are?"

"I'm ready when you are Mister Sherriff Sir."

His eyes met mine again and they flashed with hunger, I felt the throb of lust in my veins and steeled myself for a very long, very enjoyable night.

OoOoO

I woke up at 3pm, sore in the most delightful way and showered while my coffee was brewing. Eric had left not long before dawn, once again asking me to come to his room at sundown. Despite sleeping for 9 hours I was exhausted and sluggishly made my way to the dining room for breakfast, waving at Tom on my way to the buffet before piling my plate with breakfast foods. I smiled at the donors I walked past, only to get scowls in return, they were thinking of how Gina got fired last night and she had told them that it was my entire fault before she left. I sighed and figured I would be better to set things straight rather than have them think I could do the same thing to them, I wasn't particularly friendly with them but no-one needs enemies when they can do something to prevent it.

"You girls know that Gina was fired for trying to get into a restricted area don't you?" The looks Sadie and Helena were giving me told me that they didn't. "Tom and I saw her arguing with Will, trying to get into the vampire wing without being summoned. Yes, she was trying to see my companion Mr. Northman and offer herself to him but that wasn't why she was fired. Humans have to wait for a summons for a reason and she didn't respect that, she didn't respect the rules, she didn't respect that everyone else follows the rules."

"Sure." Sadie snorted. "And I bet that she was trying to cut in with the Northman didn't have anything to do with it."

"Actually I dealt with that myself but ask yourself this: How long before she thought she was better than you and tried to cut in on your regulars?" Obviously that thought hadn't occurred to them at all. "We don't need girls like her here, they only cause problems."

I walked away but kept listening to their thoughts, thankful that they agreed with my view on what might have happened if she hadn't been sent away, Sadie was reconsidering keeping in touch with her. I sat next to Tom and his nostrils flared slightly, causing him to shake his newspaper and offer me a tight smile, Eric had told me that other Supes would be able to smell that I'd had his blood as well as smell that we'd had sex. I made small talk, finding out Tom was a Werewolf but not a member of a pack and telling him a little of what I'd done for the Queen so far. When I was done eating we went out to the car park and settled into Tom's wife's Golf for another lesson.

I slowly made my way round the streets of New Orleans, stopping at a red light in a very bad place for someone like me to be near. On the corner in front of me was a large, mostly glass building with a very prominent Fellowship of the Sun sign outside, there were people handing out leaflets on the step to passers-by and others putting leaflets under the windscreen wipers of nearby parked cars. I saw the doors open and choked on my own saliva at what I was witnessing.

Gina was hugging a larger lady and dabbing at her eyes with a tissue, this would not be good. Tom cleared his throat but it was the sounds of horns honking behind me that broke my stare; unfortunately the noise also gained attention from the FotS people. Gina looked right at me as I drove past, pointing at the car and burying herself in the arms of her Fellowship gal pal. Shit.

"Sookie, I want you to take a left up here and pull up outside a store called 'Ellen's tackle and Guns' okay?"

"Sure Tom."

I nodded and looked at the stores until I found the right one. I had no trouble parking as long as you consider taking up two spaces a success and we walked into the store. I remembered being taken to a gun store by my daddy when Jason got his benelli, the smell made my nose itch. There was a pretty girl, a little older than me behind the counter; her hair was made of long black curls that accentuated her heart-shaped face. Her features were soft but her eyes held a 'don't mess with me' quality that I wished I could achieve. She smiled broadly at Tom and shook his hand before casting her eyes in my direction.

"So, Tom. Who's this little girl?"

"Hi, I'm Sookie Stackhouse." I stuck my hand out and wondered why Tom had brought me here.

"Ellen, Sookie here needs a little firepower. We need a small handgun she can keep in a purse." I looked at him and asked if I needed a permit for that. "Yep, but your boss will take care of it, don't worry. I just want you to be prepared to defend yourself and having a gun is quicker to pick up than showing you knife or sword skills."

Ellen pointed to a glass case full of guns and Tom headed over, taking the keys from her and opening the door to feel the weight of each piece. I smiled at Ellen and poked her brain with my talent, she was another were, I wondered if it would be rude to ask what she turned into.

"So ... uh ... Tom is my guard, he's a Werewolf are you a wolf too? My last guard was a cheetah."

She laughed; the way her eyes crinkled showed that it was something she did often.

"I'm in a different league of shifters." Tom snorted and said something about little league. "I'm not a fighting were, I shift into a black swan, we're usually used for recon, scouting, there ain't many of us but we try to stay useful."

I nodded and watched Tom and Ellen as they discussed the pros and cons of each gun, intermittently asking my opinion before deciding on a small frame revolver with plenty of rounds. We said our goodbyes to Ellen and Tom took the keys from me to drive back. He explained that there was a small range at the residence where the guards could practice and calibrate.

"But ... why now? If I needed to use a gun shouldn't I have been shown weeks ago?"

"Weeks ago you hadn't been pointed out to the Fellowship by an ex-employee of the residence. What happens if we're at the mall and you're confronted in the ladies bathroom?"

"I don't have a way to tell you I'm in trouble so I need to defend myself, I get it. What do I need to do?"

Tom explained the process of getting a permit on the way back home; when we got there he took me straight to the range for practice shots. My aim wasn't half bad, probably due to the BB gun I had when I was little, even if I couldn't get a head shot, I'd be able to injure someone enough for me to get away. We practiced until our stomachs rumbled; I noticed Tom seemed a little antsy then remembered that tonight and the two nights after that would be his time where he had to change. That time of the month indeed. Tom walked me back to my room so I could store my gun before dinner and pick up my laptop for tonight's meeting.

We entered the dining room to find two of the tables occupied with donors, dropping my shields I found them all to have gotten over the idea that I was the sole reason for Gina's departure, this was good. Sadie was thinking about the phone call she'd had with Gina earlier, wondering why Gina even wanted to talk to her after she told her that she knew exactly why she's been fired and also told her that going after another girl's regular was a serious no-no. I was fairly disturbed at Gina's readiness to continue to speak to someone who obviously had no respect for her. I knew exactly why she wanted to keep in touch. I cleared my throat to get their attention.

"Hi ladies, I'm sure you're all aware of the conversation I had with Sadie and Helena this afternoon." They all nodded. "Today while I was out with Tom we saw something that worried us. Gina was coming out of the Fellowship church near here, speaking to a woman and hugging her. Now I don't want you to think I'm telling you what to do and I'm not demanding that y'all not talk to Gina but please, please be careful what you say to her. If she fishes for information on the compound or any of the vampires or staff here don't tell her anything because it's a sure bet it'll go right back in a Fellowship file to be used to harm people who work here."

They looked scared, good, they should be. Tom and I ate dinner in relative silence, I could tell how on edge he was and you could see all of the Were's in the residence were wound tight, waiting for their run. We finished our meal and walked to the vampire wing, nodding to Will and going through the security procedures. When the buzz signified Eric's room door was unlocked, I opened it to find he was still in bed. I'd heard that human men wake up with parts of their anatomy ready for action and vampires were no different it seems.

I closed the door behind me and stood there watching him. He scowled at me and patted the bed next to him. I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. Is this how it was going to be? Now he's gotten into my panties that's all he wants to do? One thing spending a huge chunk of my life with crazy people did was encourage me to be up front with my feelings, the doctor's swore by it and I agreed, it may have caused minor scuffles but not building up bad feelings prevented huge blow ups later on.

"So is this how its gonna be now Eric? I don't even warrant a 'welcome' or a 'hello', I'm just beckoned towards your hard-on to service you?"

He sat up, annoyance flashing across his handsome face before he got out of bed and stalked towards me stark naked. When he was right in front of me he dropped to his knees and took both of my hands in his.

"Angelic Sookie, vision of beauty, please forgive my assuming you would be amenable to me fucking your brains out as soon as we were able." He stood and placed my hand on his stiff cock. "This is what you do to me. The moment I rose all I could think about was your body, your mouth, your hands and what they do to me."

"Well when you put it like that how can I be so cruel as to refuse?"

Eric lifted me up and threw me on the bed, he was like a hurricane of lust and pleasure and I got caught in the eye and lifted higher and higher until I didn't know where I was anymore. We were tangled in the sheets of his bed, coming down from an orgasmic high when his cell phone rang. He was across the room answering it about a second after I heard it. I went into the bathroom to give him some privacy and take care of my full bladder and sticky private places. When I came back out Eric was half dressed. I checked my watch; we didn't need to be in the Queen's office for another hour.

"The Queen has summoned us, just we two; I assume it's to discuss your findings from last night."

"Oh. I guess I should put some clothes on then?"

Eric laughed and handed me my jeans and top after I scrabbled around the floor looking for my bra, panties and socks. I looked at the poor offerings in my hands, I'm a woman who has sex now, I have a man that will see my under things, this will not do! Next week when I get paid I'm going straight to Victoria's Secret.

Once again we walked hand in hand to Sophie-Ann's office, checking to make sure the green light was on before we walked in. Eric ushered me through the door and both Sophie-Ann and Andre's nostrils took on the life of their own. It looked like their noses were gonna leap of their faces and hump my legs. I felt Eric put his hands on my shoulders behind me and pull me towards his chest protectively.

"Well, you two have been busy. I don't think it could be more obvious unless you screwed each other right here in front of me, you reek of each other!" Her eyes flashed to Eric. "You mentioned taking her home with you last night, you understand I will have to demand that you _request_ to bond with Sookie, and I would have to consider that request very carefully?"

"Yes my Queen, we have exchanged blood during sex once. It seems Sookie's teeth are sharper than she anticipated."

"Ooh a biter? I usually drain girls like that but I can see why you wouldn't mind with this one! Anyway let's get down to business." Eric and I sat on the sofa and The Queen and her child joined us. "Due to your observations from the human lawyers I have decided against a marriage with Arkansas, I'm relieved that you were able to catch this Sookie, who knows what plans had been cooked up but those men were terrified you would find out."

"Oh that's a weight off my mind your Majesty! I was concerned you would still go through with it after your comments about being tired." She smiled sweetly at me and Andre placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"We have come to an arrangement. I will pledge to my eldest child Andre, this will free me from proposals for 100 years and I will be able to continue with all of my relationships as I have been."

"So you and Hadley ... Oh! I'm sorry your Majesty! I shouldn't pry."

"It's quite alright Sookie and yes, I will be able to spend time with Hadley. Andre will not complain or raise issue with this but I will not be flaunting your cousin as it would be disrespectful to him as my husband and consort."

"I understand." It wasn't completely what Hadley wanted but it was better than her being alone or being sent away.

"Come." The Queen stood and we followed. "We will feed before I hear the cases brought before me."

Eric smiled and tucked a stray hair behind my ear. "I am ... full my Queen, I will no longer require donors while I am here."

Sophie-Ann laughed and as she walked away I could have sworn I heard her say 'I should fucking hope not!' As I watched her walk into the day room I remembered I hadn't done the transcripts for her! I flapped for a while before Eric clamed me down and took me to the communal office to print everything. We walked in on Rasul and Helena introducing their private parts to each other with as little clothing removed as possible, which was fortunate, I may not have had my wits about me if they'd been buck naked.

"C'mon guys! People have to type on that keyboard! Can't you use the lounge next door?"

I turned to Eric who was smirking as Rasul and Helena tucked themselves back in and scooted off somewhere with a lock presumably. Eric showed me which cables went where and in no time I had the warm pages from the printer in my hand. In all the ... sex, I had forgotten to tell Eric about my new toy!

"Tom bought me a gun today! He was worried because we saw Gina, the donor from last night, coming out of a Fellowship church and she pointed me out, so he took me to see a were-swan called Ellen who owns a gun store in case I'm caught in a situation without him."

"Okay. Can you hit anything when you shoot?"

"Are you assuming that because I'm female I couldn't hit a cow's ass with a banjo?" If my tone didn't correct his assumption I was pretty sure my finger poking him in the chest would. "I didn't get any head shots but a shoulder or thigh buys me time."

"I apologise for flippantly suggesting you wouldn't be adept at handling a firearm but I must warn you that your finger will be removed if you attempt to poke me in the chest ... ever ... again."

Strangely, despite the threat, I wasn't scared. We smiled at each other and the tension passed, the donors left lounge through the side door and Eric and I made our way back to Sophie-Ann's office where there was now a queue of vampires waiting to be seen.


	14. Monkey Wrench

**Sookie, Interrupted – Chapter 14 – Monkey Wrench**

Sitting in on the Queen's Area 1 Sherriff business wasn't that bad, I took details of vampires who were checking into the area, those who were leaving, one had to pay a fine for feeding from another vampire's pet. It was all really easy, Hadley had e-mailed me all of the forms that she used and not to knock my cousin, but she wasn't the brightest – if she could manage it then I wouldn't have any problems. I started packing my things away when we were done, patting myself on the back for managing everything, when Sophie-Ann smiled and clapped her hands.

"Well, that's the boring stuff out of the way! Now for the fun part!"

"Excuse me you Majesty? I thought we were done here?"

"Yes Sookie, we're done here - in this office, but there is still work for me to do. Now I have to see to the more ... serious cases."

My mouth made the shape of an 'Oh' but no sound came out. I turned to Eric and he nodded to indicate that we should follow the Queen and Andre, Sophie-Ann opened what I had previously assumed to be a closet, but it turned out to be a doorway to a long corridor. I pictured the residence in my mind and realised that this must run along the outside of the vampire wing that means only rooms on one side of the wing are actually rooms, interesting. We walked past seven cells, stopping at the eighth and last one, Andre opened the door to reveal a naked male vampire chained to the walls with silver.

"Good evening Guido how are we tonight?"

The vampire just grunted and lifted his head to look at his visitors, his eyes rested on me and his nostrils flared. He looked familiar but it wasn't until Andre backhanded him and I saw his profile that I recognised him. It was one of the Nevada vampires we saw in Baton Rouge. He spat blood onto the floor at Andre's feet and grinned.

"I'd feel better after a good meal." He eyed me and smirked, running his tongue over his fangs. Urgh! How disgusting! I heard Eric growling behind me, Guido tilted his head and regarded the two of us. "Ah! She is Northman's meal now?"

"I am no-one's meal."

I was surprised to hear the words coming out of my mouth but then it wasn't the first time my voice had kicked into gear a second or two before my brain, that's how most of the fights I'd ever been in had started at Valmont. Not that they were really fights, a few punches and some hair-pulling is probably foreplay for vampires.

"Guido, let's not waste time. I've let you rot in here for almost a week now ..."

"Under false circumstances! Gervaise offered me his human; I took nothing without his consent!"

"Do not interrupt. Gervaise' human was what got you in here; you are being kept here because you were following my telepath. I just want to know how you were aware of her location."

"I saw a tasty looking blonde, I followed, that is all."

"Yes, that's what Sean said too. How nice that you both have compatible tastes." She laughed but just as quickly as her mirth surfaced it was cut short and her stare was cold as ice. "Sean is finally dead. He met with a stake by my hand two nights ago. Would you like the same fate or would you be prepared to barter?"

I was shocked that these ... men? Were so expendable, Sophie-Ann talked about staking Sean like she'd bought a tub of ice-cream. I was also shocked that she was so sneaky, there was no doubt in my mind that Gervaise had offered his pet but then turned the story around so they would be taken into custody but then it always comes back to the same thing – never piss off vampires.

"What are your terms? I will need protection."

"Indeed." Sophie-Ann's eyes flashed in victory. "You will tell me who sent you and how you knew of my telepath's visit to Baton Rouge, if what you tell me is ... feasible and useful, you will be taken to a comfortable room, fed and you can remain in Louisiana under my protection."

Guido nodded. "I was sent by my King, De Castro, to Louisiana to watch the telepath. We were given the address of her hotel and a photograph, although it was dated, she was still recognisable. We were instructed to seize her if the opportunity arose but not to cause a scene."

"And who told you where she would be?"

"De Castro's second, Victor Madden, he told us where to go, I do not know how he came across the information."

"Very well." Sophie-Ann nodded to Andre and he handed her a stake.

"WAIT! I told you everything!"

"Exactly. You told me everything, yet everything you told me I have worked out on my own. Your information has not been useful and as such you are expendable."

A thought occurred to me all of a sudden. "Your Majesty?"

"Yes Miss Stackhouse?"

"May I ask the ... prisoner a question?" The Queen nodded her assent. "Where is this photograph you were given?"

"It was in my wallet, it should still be with my personal effects."

Andre went to a pile of clothes in a metal garbage can and pulled out a cracked and worn leather wallet, rifling through it and removing a small photo. I took it from him and looked at it; it was a copy of the last school photo that had been taken of me. The only people who had this would be Gran, Jason or me, I had this in a box of photo's I'd brought from Valmont and sat on my bookcase. I'd been planning on getting an album to put them in.

"Your Majesty, the only way someone could get this photo is if they were a vampire who had been inside my room before or a human."

"Yes! A human delivered it to us when we arrived in Baton Rouge; I assumed she was from Nevada."

Sophie-Ann looked at me and then to Guido. "Well this information is new; it seems, thanks to Miss Stackhouse, that you survive another night Guido. Tell us what this female looked like."

The description was vague, long brown hair, pretty mouth, just over 5 feet tall, but there were only maybe 5 or so humans that had access to the residence that would fit it. Two of them were pets, the other three were donors. We left Guido's cell and Sophie-Ann called Hadley to bring her Sadie, Vicky and Cora from the donor wing, then called for the vampires to bring their pets.

When we got back to the day room Hadley was there with the donors and the Bert's showed Mara and Robyn inside a second after we entered. I was enraged, how dare one of these women go through my personal things! I didn't beat around the bush and I didn't even wait for the Queen to give me permission.

"Which one of you bitches has been in my room?" They all looked shocked, I scrutinised their minds with my talent and thrust my finger out, pointing to Robyn. "You! I can see it! You stole this photo from my room!"

The Bert's grabbed her and the other girls were ushered out by Andre, who returned moments later with Waldo, Robyn's Master. The vampire and his human were forced into chairs and held in place, Waldo was secured with silver chains. I snarled and grabbed Robyn's head in my hands, getting deeper inside her head than I'd ever dared with anyone before. I saw it all, she had been instructed to break into my room and try to find a picture of me and then wait in a hotel in Baton Rouge for contact with the Nevada vampires. Her master had told her that if it all worked out she would live in luxury for the rest of her life.

I turned to Waldo. "Why? What have I ever done to you?"

"Stupid human." He sneered and turned to his Maker. "Surely you don't believe her lies?"

"One thing I am not Waldo is a liar! You planned to kill Hadley because of your jealousy and I found out about your trip to see Marie Laveau and ruined it for you. Is that why you want me out of the way?"

"Is this true my child? You planned to kill Hadley?"

At that point Waldo looked like his head would explode in rage. Robyn was sent out; she had only followed her Master's orders. It wasn't her fault. Waldo explained of his jealousy for Hadley and thought if he could be rid of her he could find favour with Sophie-Ann again. When I invited myself along for the trip and suggested Bill come too, he assumed that Hadley and I were just too close and that he'd have to get rid of me before he could plan another way to kill my cousin.

"De Castro was most interested, Threadgill thought he would attain your use through marrying our Queen and saw no need to acquire you in another manner. If I'd killed you there would be an investigation." His lip curled in disgust. "You are also far too well guarded, and too well liked. You were supposed to be left alone in Baton Rouge."

Well that confirmed everything, it had been Waldo that informed Lorena to call Bill away and arranged for me to be left alone at the mercy of the Nevada vampires that weekend. I thanked my lucky stars even more that Eric had been interested enough in me to show up at that time, like it was fate. I heard Sophie-Ann sigh and looked over to see her rubbing her fingertips into her temples.

"Waldo, did your brining not teach you anything? Obviously my punishments aren't a deterrent for your behaviour. You have attempted to wrong two people I regard very highly; these two will decide your fate."

I was shocked that the Queen would put this vampire's life, or unlife, in me and my cousin's hands. Hadley nodded to her lover and came over to me.

"Sookie, you don't have to do anything. Just let me take care of it."

Waldo laughed, it was hollow and malevolent. "Yes, run along little human. Your skills are of no use in this instance."

I get it, I was weak, a meal with added benefits in his eyes. Was that how all of the vampires saw me? Maybe he was right, maybe I didn't have the stomach for this, maybe I should let Hadley take care of him. Or maybe I should take this opportunity to show that I had what it takes, that I could rise to a challenge. I took two steps forward and threw my fist into his face, it hurt me more than it hurt him but it shut him up.

I turned to my audience to find them looking quite shocked, Hadley was holding a sword and looked amused at my reaction to his words before handing over the blade to me.

"Maybe Sookie has other skills we've yet to discover?" She cocked an eyebrow and smirked at me. "Perhaps my cousin just needs a little ... motivation to find the strength to stand up for herself?"

I watched her circle Waldo's chair and felt Eric come to stand next to me, he bent down and whispered that he would love to see what I could do. I didn't like this one bit; I didn't have the guts to chop someone's head off, even if he did want my cousin dead. My cousin, Hadley, without her I'd still be locked up, eating crap and blocking out everyone else's traumas, fighting off guards and other inmates, she was my saviour and he wanted to end her because he couldn't handle Mommy not playing with him as much. I felt my grip on the sword tighten and lifted it; it was lighter than I thought it would be. I swung it experimentally imagining it was an extension of my arm.

"Sookie." I took my attention off the sword and looked at Hadley. "If Waldo had his way I would be dead but it would be much worse for you." Swish. "You would be forced to use your gift to find out who was cheating in his casinos." Swish. "You would, by now, probably have been raped by a majority of De Castro's retinue, including De Castro himself." Swish swish. "You would be fed from by several vampires at a time while you were laid on a table for their pleasure." Swish swish swish.

"The Queen coddles her, she deserves no more than he would give her. Look how easily the whore gave herself to the Northman!" Swish swish. "You're a stupid blood bag who isn't fit to lick my shoes! You stand there with that sword but you don't have the mettle to strike me!" Swish swish swish. "Go on little human! Take off my head! End me!"

He laughed maniacally, goading me, mocking me. I met Hadley's eyes, they were gleaming, she grabbed a handful of Waldo's hair, keeping his head straight and nodded. I swung the sword at his neck and closed my eyes; there was a thunk of metal hitting flesh and a gurgling noise. I opened my eyes and watched Hadley drop his severed head, seconds later it seemed to melt into ash until there was nothing left but a scorch mark. I dropped the sword and sank to my hands and knees, retching my stomach contents onto the tiled floor before everything went black.

OoOoO

I could feel the restraints as I came to, my arms were bound across my chest and my legs were pinned down across the thighs, I opened my eyes experimentally and found myself in darkness. I wriggled in my bindings and they gripped me tighter, my heart raced, wondering if I was in one of the cells in the vampire wing.

"Shh ... its okay Sookie, I've got you."

I shook my head a little trying to clear the mental fog and gain some idea of where I was. I inhaled deeply and my senses were filled with a distinct masculine scent ... Eric. I turned and felt his hair brushing against my cheek, relief filled me, I wasn't restrained as much as held in an uber-snuggle. I also wasn't in a cell, as my eyes accustomed to the light levels I took in my surroundings, I recognised the mouldings on the door and the elaborate frame of the painting on the wall next to it.

"Eric? Are we in your room?"

"Yes Lover, you fainted and I brought you back here. I was unsure how long you would be unconscious and found I didn't want to leave you by yourself."

"You were ... worried about me?"

"Yes, it is a perturbing development. I was concerned you would be frightened when you woke and wanted to be close so I could comfort you, I don't believe I've ever done something like this for a human before."

"Thank you."

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine ... I think. Did I chop of Waldo's head and send him to his final death?"

"You did, the way you wielded that blade, toying with him, making him think you wouldn't do it." His mouth nuzzled against my neck and I felt his length harden against my hip as he spoke about my vengeful streak making an entrance. "You showed no weakness in your strike, you were magnificent!"

"I wouldn't have done anything if Hadley hadn't gotten me so worked up and angry at him, him opening his big mouth just pushed me over the edge." His arm loosened and a hand cupped my breast as his erection pressed into my side.

"Mmmmm ... well it also got me quite worked up and I would very much like to see if my mouth could push you over the edge."

"Eric! I just killed someone! How can you be horny at a time like this?"

"Oh Sookie." He chuckled lightly. "You aren't the sweet little girl that many think you are and every time you do something to prove how strong you are it makes me want you. You didn't kill an innocent; you took out an enemy, its cause for a celebration!"

I was about to turn and face him when I remembered I would probably have puke breath. I wriggled out of his embrace and got out of bed, patting at the nightstand trying to find a lamp and coming up with nothing. The room filled with soft light from the other side of the bed and I looked at Eric to find him sitting up, naked and ready to celebrate.

"Give me a minute."

I shakily made my way to the bathroom and turned back at the door to discover Eric smirking at me and stroking himself. I felt the blood rush to my face, and other places, and shut myself in the bathroom, stripping off all my icky clothes as I filled the sink with cold water. I still couldn't fully understand everything that was happening to me, I got involved with vampires and that I could handle. I could also handle the no nonsense approach vampires had towards people who wronged them, the violence of it all would take a little getting used to.

What I was struggling to handle was the way Eric was with me, it was the opposite of the romance novels I had read in the past where the hero always stepped in so the heroine wouldn't have to fight. He wanted me to fight, he wanted me to stand up for myself, when people fear me and when I hurt those who have wronged me he gets turned on – is that messed up? Or is it more messed up to have a man who never lets you speak for yourself and wraps you in cotton wool? He said it himself in not so many words that my strength makes him want me, he _wants_ me. _He_ wants _me_. So why the hell am I in here when he's on the bed, naked, hard, beautiful and powerful?

I splashed water on my face and neck and rinsed my mouth out before opening the door and attempting to lean seductively on the doorframe. Eric was in the same position I left him in but when he saw I was wearing just as much as he was his posture changed and his fangs ran out. He beckoned me back to the bed with the hand that wasn't moving up and down his rigid shaft and I didn't need to be asked twice.

OoOoO

I left Eric's room moments before dawn and took the walk of shame back to my apartment. I was passing by the human guards, they only work in the vampire wing on the mornings after the Were's have to change, when Bryan stopped me by putting a hand on my arm. Through his thoughts I knew what he wanted to ask me before the words came out of his mouth.

"Sookie, I heard that you took out a vampire last night."

"Yeah Bryan, he tried to arrange for me to be taken by another state and he also planned to kill my cousin."

"Shit Sookie." Bryan and Dom laughed. "Remind me never to piss you off girl! You'd make a kick-ass vampire!"

I laughed with them as I walked away but inside I was terrified. If the humans thought I would make a good vampire, did that mean the vampires did too? No matter, if they did they couldn't turn me not without voiding my ... shit! The contract wouldn't matter if I was turned, my maker would call all the shots. I sighed heavily as I entered my room, I was too tired to think about that right now, I took my outfit off and threw it in the trash before flopping on my bed.

I was about to drift off when my cell rang out. I let out a screech of frustration and stomped over to the counter to pick it up. Gran, why the hell would she be calling me this early?

"Hi Gran is everything okay?"

_Oh Sookie! I've been up all night holding a shotgun on the door!_

"What! Why? Is someone trying to get in?"

_Well no, but all night I've heard wolves howling in the woods and I had this ... compulsion to call you as soon as it was light but I'm ... I'm not sure why._

Oh this was not good. "Gran, have you met those new neighbours yet?"

_No, I keep meaning to go over but ... I don't know why I haven't._

"Gran, don't go over there and don't let anyone in your house. In fact don't even answer your door unless it's someone you know like Jason or Sam. Something is going on and I'm gonna try and get back up there to find out what."

_Well, you make it sound so serious Sookie! But if you're determined to come all the way up here to put your mind at rest I won't stop you._

"Thanks Gran, I'll call you later okay."

_Okay child, bye now._

"Bye Gran."

I ended the call and sank to my knees in my little kitchenette, wondering if I should call Jason first or Sam. Jason, I needed him to make sure Gran was alright, there was one sure way she would have the compulsion to call me at dawn and that was if she'd been glamoured into wanting to do it. Why a vampire would glamour an old lady into making a phone call is the mystery or maybe not. Is it coincidence that Bill goes missing and one of his descendants ends up dead? Is it coincidence that Gran would be glamoured into calling her Granddaughter who works for the Vampire Queen? No, there's no coincidence here. I hoped my brother answered even though it was so early.

_Sookie?_

"Jason! I need you to check on Gran."

_What? Is she hurt? Why would she call you and not me if she hurt herself?_

"I ..." I sighed, how do I explain this? "Something strange is going on, it might involve her new neighbours, I need you to go over there with a doctor and make sure she's not anaemic, the doc should check for a ... rash either under her arms or high up on her thigh. Don't ask questions just do it please?"

_Shit Sook, you sound scared and that's enough to make me do it right now. I'll call you later when I've got news._

"Thanks Jase, I speak to you later."

I went into the bathroom and splashed more cold water on my face to keep me awake then I dialled the only number I had for Sam.

_You've reached Merlotte's bar and grill. We're closed right now, if you call back between the hours of 10 am and 1am we'll be glad ta help ya out. Take care now ya hear._

Shit. I called Jason back and asked if he had a different number for Sam, he was confused but gave me Sam's cell number, again assuring me that he'd call as soon as the doctor checked Gran over. I made sure to enter Sam's number in the memory of my phone in case I ever needed it again and crossed my fingers as it rang.

_Hello?_

"Sam? It's Sookie, I'm sorry to call after you've probably had a ... busy night but I need to talk to you."

_Sookie! I was gonna call you when I woke up. There's ..._

"Were's in the woods near my Grans and vampires living in the house across the graveyard from her?"

_Uh ... yeah. How did you work that out?_

"She called me; she had a compulsion to call me at first light after hearing howling in the woods the first night of the full moon. I need you to somehow make contact with the male vampire staying in the old Compton place, his name is Bill and I think he needs my help."

_Well if I can I'll tell him his message came through loud and clear. I take it you'll be coming home soon?_

"Yes and I'll be bringing some friends with me."

_Sure thing. I'll be in touch as soon as I hear something Chere._

"Thanks Sam, I ... I don't know what I'd do without you there. Bye."

I went back over to lie down on the bed, trying to block out the thoughts of Bill and his maker Lorena glamouring and possibly feeding from my Gran. Sleep was a long time coming, but I needed to rest and be at the top of my game if I was going to clear up more of Waldo's mess.

OoOoO

Unsurprisingly I was woken by my phone, I leaned over and grabbed it from the nightstand, it was Jason.

"Jason, how is she?"

_Yeah you were right about the anaemia; Doc Mosley gave her a prescription for iron tablets and vitamins._

"And the rash?"

_No rash where you told us to check but there were some sores under her arms, looked like they'd opened and bled a little._

Fucking bitch!

"Okay Jason, now I want you to stay with Gran, I'll be coming home soon, real soon but you have to stay there and make sure she doesn't invite anyone she doesn't know into the house."

_Sookie you're talkin' like someone's done this to her. If you know somethin', if Gran told you about this, I wanna know._

"Jase." I huffed out a breath and rubbed my hand over my face. "Gran didn't tell me anything, I've ... I've just worked things out on my own. I think the folks that moved into the old Compton place are vampires and they've been ... using Gran but don't worry I'll be bringing some folks up to deal with it very soon ... I hope."

_So if anyone shows up at the door we don't know, we shouldn't let them in._

"Yes, and don't look them in the eye and if they come in without being invited you need to tell them you rescind their invitation."

_Right, okay. Sook?_

"Yeah?"

_Should I be scared or angry?_

"A little of both'll do you good. Just take care of Gran until I get there. I'll be in touch."

_Okay Sook, I love ya lil sis._

"Love you too Jase."

To say I was angry would be a massive, massive understatement. That we now had some proof that Lorena and perhaps Bill had been feeding from my Gran made me ten times as angry as I'd been when I chopped off Waldo's head. She was an old woman, who'd probably gone to their door to welcome them to the neighbourhood and what did they do? They glamoured her into thinking she hadn't met them and drank her blood. Bill must have known who she was, he knew my surname and he knew my Gran lived across the graveyard from the Compton place. I was willing to put money on old Jessie Compton having an un-natural death so they could hide out in his house.

Lorena probably thought no-one would know them or that Bill was related to old Jessie, but she did think to have Were's scouting around, which meant she was willing to put up a fight to keep Bill there. Eric and I had briefly spoken about the chance that Bill wouldn't want to come back, but if he got the chance to glamour my Gran into calling me it was a message that he wanted to be found. I just hope he hadn't put my Gran in more danger by doing it.

I checked the time; it was later than I thought. I'd probably be waking up in an hour or so on a normal day. I drew a bath and tried to soak the stress from my muscles, thinking about the best way to do things. I dried myself and dressed in sweats and a t-shirt before calling to leave a message for Eric. It was one of those automated messages but then I wondered what an answering service message from Eric would sound like, it was the first time I smiled all day.

"Hi Eric it's Sookie, I've found out where Bill is and let's just say it's a very large problem and I'm taking it very personally. Come and find me as soon as you get this."

I went downstairs to speak to Tom about everything I'd discovered; it was going to be a long day for me.


	15. Come Back

**Sookie, Interrupted – Chapter 15 – Come Back**

The compound was a hive of activity. After I'd told Tom the details of my theory of Bill's whereabouts and who he and Lorena had been feeding from, he sprang into action. Knowing there were Were's in the woods was his first port of call. While he was on the phone to the closest pack master, I searched the internet for detailed maps of the area so we could have as much information for the vampires when they rose for the night.

I was in the dining room with all my print outs spread across a table, making notes on them with a big red pen when Sadie and Cora came in. They looked at me nervously, wondering what I was doing, remembering how I'd screamed at them the night before. Seeing me in their heads was very scary, I looked wild with rage, which I guess I was. I cursed inwardly at myself for letting myself get so angry and I silently cursed at Hadley for playing on it. My whole time at Valmont, I had trained myself with the help of the doctor's and therapist's into avoiding anger by dealing with things before they came to a head. Sure some things still happened but if I hadn't controlled my emotions things would have been a hell of a lot worse.

When I had first been admitted to Valmont I had been very, very angry. Not at any one person but at my situation, my own body having such a freaky disability. It took a long time for me to see having telepathy as anything other than a betrayal of nature. For a short while, I actually thought maybe I was sick in the head and I took the treatments and the therapy but it was a very, very short while. For another while I thought that God had given me a curse to punish me for something, which made me really angry at him but after thinking about how everything happens for a reason, I came to the conclusion that reading people's minds was something I was supposed to do. Maybe to protect myself and it helped with that a lot, I saw situations in people's heads before they could act on them and used it to diffuse any potential attacks on me and some of the other girls in there. Then Sophie-Ann and Hadley came and I was even more certain that reading minds was what I was made for.

Yet all of that self-discipline blew away in the wind when I discovered a situation I hadn't been able to read and control. Is that why I got so angry? Because I had no control over it? I had been in close proximity to Waldo many times in the residence and because he was a vampire I couldn't see the situation that was heading my way. That was probably part of it. Another part was his plan to kill Hadley, which I had also been prevented from seeing. If only I could read vampire minds, this could all have been avoided, but then Sophie-Ann would probably have killed me when she and Hadley came across me that fateful night. I would never have read about the Marie Leveau plan from Robyn and Hadley would be finally dead, we would both be dead rather than Waldo.

It didn't disturb me that I'd killed him; goodness knows he deserved it and if I hadn't done it someone else would have. It was the way that I'd killed him, he was chained to a chair with silver and Hadley was baring his neck to me to make it easier. I'm not squeamish, I stand up for myself and if he'd came at me with his fangs or a knife I'd feel infinitely better about sending him to his final death. It's not like I could ask for a rematch though is it? Eric had said that I'd taken out my enemy, and I had but I just didn't feel my actions were honourable.

"Penny for them!" I looked up and Tom was leaning against the table, despite his light hearted comment his face was serious.

"Hey Tom, what did you find out?"

"Colonel Flood is pretty sure that no-one from his pack is that far from Shreveport and he's curious about the were's in Bon Temps. He's not too happy that they didn't have the courtesy to let him know they'd be hunting near his area."

"So he's looking into it?"

"Oh yes but only as a personal favour to me. He said he'd be going out to Bon Temps personally with a few high ranking members of his pack."

"Tonight?"

"Probably, I'm pretty sure once the Queen finds out that some vampires have been snacking on her favourite child's Granny she'll wanna move on this ASAP." I nodded mutely and went back to circling and identifying paths and properties around the area the were's were supposed to be. "Sookie, I heard about what happened last night. Do you want to talk about it?"

"I killed someone." I shrugged and sighed. "I got angry, I lost control and took the head off someone who's only way of defending themselves was some nasty comments."

"So it's the fact he wasn't physically fighting back that's got ya spooked or is it the loss of control?"

"Both. I know what kind of world I'm in Tom. Letting my anger get the better of me can put me in a whole heap of trouble."

"Sure it can but for all of us there are instances where there just isn't time to react rationally. Anger, focussed anger, can keep you safe. When you're just plain angry at everyone is where problems show up." I just looked at him blankly. "You were right to get angry, sure it wasn't what you'd perceive to be an honourable kill, but in that situation it was the right thing to do. Now, I know whatever I say to you you're gonna beat yourself up over it, because that's the kind of person you are and believe me I don't wanna change that. You would forgive Hadley if she'd killed him; you need to forgive yourself for it too. You'll never forget what you did, killing someone stays in your memory forever, but don't let it haunt you."

I sagged in my chair and let the tears flow, there were voices shooing out other people in the room and then I was being held against a hard chest, soaking the shirt I was huddled into.

OoOoO

As soon as the sun set and I'd finally stopped sobbing, Tom and I went to the conference room. He'd already sent a message to Sophie-Ann briefing her on the situation and letting her know where we'd be. I had spread the maps out on the table and was pointing out the woods around my Gran and the Compton property when Eric, Sophie-Ann, Hadley, Andre and the Bert's stormed in. Eric was at my side in an instant asking me what was wrong.

Once I'd explained the situation there was a mass of phone calls being made. It was clear to me from what I could overhear that we'd be heading to Bon Temps tonight just as Tom predicted. Pam, as acting Sherriff of the area was informed and told to rally troops, colonel Flood was called to appraise us of the situation and then I was asked to call Sam as it would be the easiest place for us to meet and make final plans. Hadley was pacing back and forth clenching her fists; Andre went over and placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her. Just like a brother would. He may be creepy but he was fiercely loyal and cared deeply for his Queen and maker and would fight for his siblings. Just as I was pulling out my phone to call him, Sam's name flashed on the caller ID as it rang.

"Hi Sam I was just about to call you."

"Chere. I ran out real quick as the sun went down and checked out the Compton house. As soon as I got near I was surrounded by 5 Wolves, I got close enough to determine that there are more than 2 vampires around there though."

"Wow, so we're up against more than just possibly Lorena, Bill and a couple of pups huh? We're heading up tonight, as soon as possible, would it be okay to convene at Merlotte's? The vamps won't need an invite and there'll be more space than at my Gran's."

"Of course, this gang are bound to be a bigger problem the longer they're here, I'm happy to help. Just let me know when you're about an hour out and I'll do last call and get the place empty."

"Thank you so much Sam, we really appreciate you chipping in with this."

"No problem Chere. I'll be seein' ya."

"Yeah, take care Sam."

I blew out a breath and discovered I had an audience. There was no need for me to explain what had just went on, they could hear it all with their super duper supernatural hearing.

"Tom." The Queen was most definitely in charge here. "Gather the strongest, but leave enough here to ensure a secure perimeter, we will be back tomorrow evening." Tom nodded and left the room. "Siegebert, Wybert you will remain here outside my office and convince any visitors I am busy rather than absent."

"My Queen?" Andre fell to one knee in front of Sophie-Ann. "Perhaps you should remain here, I will go. There is no need for you to dirty your hands with this issue."

"Are you joking?" Sophie-Ann snorted. "All the evidence points towards that bitch, who went against a direct order, proceeded to do the bidding of one of my underlings despite my order, and fed from Hadley and Sookie's Grandmother. I want to see her stand up to me in person; I want to smell her fear but most of all I think I need to remind some vampires of why I am Queen. To coin a modern phrase – I'm taking out the trash personally."

I stifled a giggle at her last comment and I felt Eric tense next to me. "Sookie, I would prefer for you to remain here. There's no need for you to put yourself in harm's way but I will understand if you feel the need to be close to the action, it is your family who is in fear."

"It's not just that Eric; I'm not as concerned with being near the action as I am about Gran. I want to see her and make sure she's okay. Plus me being there'll smooth things over with Sam a whole lot more."

"Agreed. If we are meeting at the Shifter's bar it would be wise to have a familiar face. You will bring your gun and I will give you a knife to keep on your person, just in case."

Eric and I went back to my room so I could pack a bag and feed him in private. Although I was comfortable with him drinking from me, I wasn't willing to sit in a room with other vampires and donors doing the same thing. The fact I smelled of Were didn't impress him but I managed to convince him that Tom had just held me while I cried and that I would have preferred if it had been him. 90 minutes after sunset we were ready to leave, everyone going to Bon Temps was waiting in the foyer so we could travel in a convoy. Quite a few of the donors and staff were milling around, I dropped my shields and found they were more curious than suspicious. I smiled at Sadie and was just about to go over and apologise for being so crazy the night before when her phone rang and she wandered off to answer it so I turned to Cora instead.

"Hey Cora, I'm real sorry about last night. I hope I didn't scare you."

"Uh ... well you were pretty angry but I guess I would be too if someone took something from my room. You know Robyn is with the donors now?"

"Is she? At least she's safe, she knew she was doing wrong but Waldo ordered her to do it so she couldn't say no."

Cora just nodded but spun round when she heard her name being called, Sadie was beckoning her wildly. I didn't stay to physically overhear their conversation but I dropped my shields to try and find out what was happening.

_Why did she have to call tonight? It's obvious something's going on here, with so few guards there's no way we'll be allowed out of the compound to meet with her._

I frowned and made my way over to Rasul to tell him what I'd heard just in case they tried to sneak out and ended up getting into trouble. I was just about to get into Eric's corvette when I felt like someone's eyes were burning a hole in my back, I looked around at everyone else piling into cars and found Frank staring at me. Oh Boy, this wasn't going to be a fun trip at all.

OoOoO

All of the stress caught up with me as soon as I was in the quiet of the car and being lulled by the smooth purring of the engine. I felt myself being shaken and a deep voice saying my name, just before I opened my eyes I had a flash of Waldo bearing down on me about to rip out my throat. I sat bolt upright, slightly breathless with the shock until I realised it had been a dream.

"Sookie! Sookie are you alright?"

I shook my head trying to bring my consciousness front and centre, I don't know how long it was before I eventually answered. I didn't remember the entire dream, just that last part but it disorientated me enough that I had to get my bearings.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm ... I just had a bad dream."

"I felt your anxiety." Crap. I forgot he'd be able to do that now. "Was it about ..."

"Waldo."

Eric just nodded. "I have been thinking about that, I should have realised last night that you were more disturbed by what you had done than you let on. In my defence it has been a very long time since I had to deal with the emotions I've been feeling from you and mistakenly assumed distraction was the best course of action."

"Oh. Well ... thanks for thinking about me."

"It's something I do more than I expected I would and not just since you had my blood."

"Did you wake me because of the dream or ... oh shit! How far away are we? I told Sam I'd call when we were about an hour away so he could close the bar to the public."

"And that is another reason why I woke you. You've slept for most of the journey, do you want to stop and see to your needs before you call Merlotte?"

"Oh God yes!"

As if the word 'needs' was magic, my bladder decided to make it know to my brain that it was incredibly full. Fortunately there was a gas station with restroom less than 10 minutes away, when I got back into the car I found a pre-made salad bowl with a big bag of chips and a bottle of Snapple on my seat.

"Aww honey! You bought me food!"

"Honey? There is nothing here with honey in it."

"No Eric it's a term of endearment. Thank you for the eats, I hadn't even thought about it." Eric nodded as I fished out my phone to call Sam.

"Hey Sookie, you guys almost here?"

"Yeah, we'll be there in about an hour, we're just outside Shreveport."

"Okay, I think some friends of yours have been in here already."

"Vamp or Were?"

"The first type, girl with long blonde hair." I looked at Eric and he mouthed 'Pam' at me.

"That was Pam; she's Eric's child and acting Sherriff of the area."

"She just walked in, looked around and walked back out again. Probably just checking the layout before people arrive." Eric nodded to confirm what Pam had been doing.

"Yep Sam, that's right. I'll see you soon okay?"

"Sure thing Chere."

I munched into my salad and chips as Eric called Pam to make sure she was able to arrange enough donors to accommodate for injuries. He was silent for a while then sucked an unnecessary breath through his teeth and hung up. I could see his jaw clenching as I bagged up my trash and sipped on my drink.

"Is something wrong?"

"Pam has insisted that Bobby be present so he can ensure the donors are well behaved in Merlotte's and be on hand for instructions that may need to be carried out as needed."

"And that's bad? Won't it be useful for him to do those things?"

"You aren't uncomfortable with this?" He looked incredulous. "No-one knows of your ... liaison with Bobby but he will be a great help in co-ordinating things in the eventuality that this visit is drawn out too close to dawn."

"Well, we discussed things the morning after and knew that we'd have to maintain some level of contact due to the nature of our jobs. To be honest I'm more uncomfortable with Frank being here than Bobby."

"This is certainly turning out to be a drama for you isn't it Lover?"

"Isn't it always?" I met his wry smile with my own and looked down as he took my hand. He held it all the way to Bon Temps.

OoOoO

The cars in our convoy took up most of the remaining spaces in the parking area at Merlotte's. There were already a number of cars there, including a few minivans. I was hoping that Sam had managed to clear out the regular customers and these vehicles belonged to the Shreveport Wolves and the Area 5 entourage we were expecting. Eric ran round to open my door for me and took my hand to help me out of the car, it was a very gentlemanly gesture and it always surprised me when he done it.

Hand in hand we entered the bar, the action causing many of the non-compound members of the team to open their mouths in surprise, especially Bobby. I waved nervously at him and he smiled back, nothing would be given away that could blow Eric's cover as the master cherry popper. There was a large group of donors on the far side of the bar, around 20, Sophie-Ann jumped up and landed on the bar making sure she had everyone's attention.

"We all know why we are here, Long Tooth pack – what have you to report?"

"Excuse me your ... Ms. LeClerq." I held up my hand to show I wanted to speak and the Queen nodded. "Could I check the donors before we go into the details?"

"Ah! Yes Sookie, wonderful idea!"

I walked over and stood in front of them, scanning their minds briefly before stopping on one man in his late 20's.

"You. What's your name?"

"Uh ... Wendell ma'am. Can I help you?"

"Are you a registered donor Wendell?" And there it was flashing across his thoughts, no he wasn't registered – because he had Sino-AIDS, the only known blood disease that affected vampires. I turned to the crowd. "Has anyone fed from this man before?"

The vampire who nodded was known to me, it was the bartender from Fangtasia, a Native American. I'd only caught a glimpse of him when I was there. Pam stepped forward and asked why it was important.

"Well Pam, this man has Sino-AIDS; if ... that vampire has fed from him then he's in for a rough ride." Pam hissed and grabbed Wendell, taking him outside. "All of the others are clean but will need to be heavily glamoured afterwards."

Pam came back in moments later; I asked her what she'd done with Wendell. She told me she'd glamoured him into never allowing another vampire to feed from him but whether that was the truth was anyone's guess. Everyone turned their attention back to the Queen and she motioned for the weres to start their report. An older gentleman stood up, his hair was military grade short and greying at the temples.

"Queen Sophie-Ann, I am Pack Master Colonel John Flood." He swept a hand around the table he was at making us more aware of his companions. "These gentlemen are Patrick Furnan, Jackson Herveaux and his son Alcide. We managed to speak with the group of were's, they'd been hired for security during the daytime and are only using the woods to run – not hunt. They apologised for not letting the local Pack master know they were in the area and I accepted. I don't see an issue for Werewolves to deal with in Bon Temps so we'll be going."

I was confused and fairly annoyed with his attitude, when they stood up to leave and the Queen said nothing my annoyance got the better of me. Eric snaked an arm around my waist, I'm not sure if it was to discourage me from saying something or to support me.

"Wait! You say it's not your problem but those wolves scared an old lady who lived alone into staying up all night with a shotgun at her side." The complete lack of concern was etched across their faces; I had a sudden flash of inspiration. "There are a lot of hunters in this area, who after hearing about my Gran's fear would have gone into those woods to find them, their behaviour could potentially unveil the existence of were's to the humans of the town!"

"Okay Barbie, you've got a point. If they don't survive and a pack comes looking I'll explain that to them and lead them away from the vamps direction. That good enough for ya sweetheart?" The patronising tone of his voice was accompanied by a condescending smile. This did not go unnoticed by Eric or Sophie-Ann, who both bared their fangs in Colonel Flood and his friends direction but surprisingly it was Tom who confronted them.

"John there's no need to speak to Sookie that way. I know you came here as a favour to me, but you've insulted a lady who I respect very much, consider me not kicking your ass the return of said favour."

Colonel Flood sneered at Tom and looked like he was going to push past him like they were love rivals in high school until Tom got flanked by Will and Frank and he gave up. I don't know what kind of history the Colonel and Tom had but even with an extra Were on Tom's gang the pack members didn't want to mess with him. Just as they were about to walk out Eric calmly moved away from me called Jackson's name as he got to the door. Both Jackson and his son Alcide, who was the second most handsome male in the bar, turned slowly to face my vampire.

"You will remain here and protect the Stackhouse property tonight. It's worth $15,000."

Jackson nodded solemnly and made his way back to the table, much to the irritation of Alcide, who huffed, glared and sat down next to his Dad. I thought we had enough force when you add the vampires of area five with the staff from the compound that travelled up. I looked at Eric and he was smirking like he won something. That was when I got it, for some reason Eric had more power over Jackson than his own pack master and he'd just publicly proven that. The way he brought money into it made me wonder if Jackson owed him money. Whatever the reason, I was glad that there would be some extra bodies around my Gran's, I had my gun and a knife, Sam would be there and Jason was probably armed but having a couple of Were's around into the bargain made me feel a little better.

I zoned out a little for the rest of the 'war-council'. I was trying to make myself as small as possible to avoid the glances Frank and Bobby were throwing my way, thankfully Frank had been grouped with the team who would be attacking from the rear of the Compton property and Bobby would be staying in Merlotte's with the donors. Sam would be taking me to Gran's and staying outside with the reluctant Were volunteers. Eric came over to see me before they all moved out.

"This should be short and sweet my Sookie. Unless I am seriously injured I will come to you at your Grandmother's house. You will be informed when it is over."

I would have answered him but anything I said would have been interrupted by the toe-curling kiss he laid on me. I could feel my lips tingling as I got into Sam's truck and called Jason to let him know I was on my way.


	16. This is a Call

**Sookie, Interrupted – Chapter 16 – This is a Call**

Jason was on the porch as we pulled up at the old farmhouse, waiting, with a shotgun. I jumped out quickly and ran over to give him a hug while the Herveaux' parked behind Sam. Jason picked me up and spun me round, causing three cell phones to fall out of my purse.

"Geez Sook! How many o' those d'ya need?"

"Oh they're not all mine. We should get inside, there's ... a lot to tell you."

Alcide and Jackson offered to scout the perimeter of the grounds but I asked if they could stay closer to the house. Sam came inside with me, which surprised Jason slightly ... more like confused really, I couldn't blame him, this morning I told him vampires were feeding on Gran, yet I show up with the local bar owner. I went to the kitchen and fixed drinks for all of us, Lord knows Jason wouldn't do it, and we settled in the living room.

"How's Gran?"

"Shaken mostly. Doesn't know how she got so sick, I didn't wanna tell her about the ... y'know." He put his fingers in his mouth to simulate fangs. "She's been sleepin' most o' the day; I've been going through with snacks and tea every couple o' hours."

I nodded, a little shocked at Jason's efforts to care for Gran, the last thing I thought of him as was a willing nursemaid. I excused myself to go and check on Gran myself, taking off my shoes and padding down the hall in my socks, trying to make as little noise as possible. I opened her door slowly, attempting to avoid the creaking of the hinges and failing miserably.

"Jason?"

"No Gran, it's me, Sookie." I sat down on the bed next to her and held her hand. "I told you I'd come as soon as possible."

"That you did child. That you did. I might be old but I'm not stupid and I'm certainly not crazy, tell me what's going on Sookie."

"Do you want the long version or the short version?"

"Short for now sweetheart. Maybe I'll get the long story tomorrow."

"Vampires moved into the Compton house and they've been feeding from you, altering your memories to forget about it. One of the vampires knows me and he didn't want to be there so we think that he used his mind control to get you to call me so we could help him and you."

"Well shit!"

I couldn't help but laugh, my Gran was always the first to scold someone for cursing in her presence but I never thought I'd hear a cuss word come out of her mouth. I kissed her forehead and made sure she didn't need anything else before I got back to the boys. In the living room Sam and Jason were talking about beer, apparently Sam had been getting deliveries from local microbreweries and Jason and the road crew were his taste testers.

"Okay guys; let's get down to brass tacks here." I took the cell phones from my bag and laid them on the table. "Jason you asked me about these. Right now there are a number of people I work with over at the Compton house dealing with the problem, there's a reason they couldn't take their phones with them and I was hoping Sam would be ... amenable to helping me explain."

I had already asked Sam if he minded Jason knowing his secret on the way there, he wasn't sure until I pointed out that he and Gran had managed to keep my secret from everyone. That put his mind at ease.

"These phones were given to me for safekeeping and to make sure that emergency calls could be answered. The reason my colleagues can't answer the phones is that ... well they aren't human."

"Are they vamps? If they are then they're gettin' a rise outta you Sook, I see vamps with cell phones all the time on TV!"

"No Jase, they're not Vampires either. Haven't you ever wondered that if vampires are real what else might be too?" The look on his face told me he hadn't. "There are ... beings. Supernatural beings all around us Jase, most of 'em look like people and really they are just people but with a little ... extra."

"Like you? You got a little extra with your ... mind mojo."

"Uh ... kind of I guess ... yeah like me and Sam."

"You can read thoughts too Sammy?" He turned to him, open mouthed and Sam just shook his head and smiled.

"Naw Jason. I can do something really cool though. I'll just go in the kitchen and I'll be back real soon."

Sam went into another room for privacy, I learned he always had a pocket sized book of animals he liked to shift into tucked away in his jeans just in case. I peeked into Jason's mind and he was extremely confused, but this was the best way to explain any strange goings on that he might witness tonight. I was wondering how long it took to shift, I'd never seen it before and found it quite fascinating, a couple of minutes later a friendly Collie trotted into the room and licked Jason's hand.

"Hey boy! How'd you get in here huh?" Sam panted and wagged his tail as Jason scratched his ears.

"Jase? That's Sam."

"Sam huh? You never told me you had a dog, why'd you call him Sam? You don't have a thing for Merlotte do ya?"

"No, Jason. That _is_ Sam Merlotte. He's a shifter, can turn into any warm-blooded animal he likes."

Jason immediately stopped scratching and stared at the dog, who trotted behind the sofa and shifted back into Sam – Bar owner. I went through to the kitchen and retrieved Sam's clothes so he didn't have to run through the house naked and tossed them to him as Jason opened and closed his mouth like a guppy.

"The phones belong to other's who can change, they're not all like Sam – he's really special. This red phone belongs to Tom, he's a Werewolf and this silver one belongs to Frank, he's a Were-Cheetah. The black one is Will's, he's a wolf too."

"And animals can't carry phones, I gotcha sis." I could tell that he really did get it - but his thoughts were more focussed on his worry that scratching Sam's ears was the equivalent of feeling him up. "So Vampires, Werewolves they're all real?"

"And more. I don't know everything yet either but I'm sure changing my tune about the world."

Jason nodded and silently went into the kitchen to swap his sweet tea for beer. I walked to the front door and looked out at the woods; I could hear faint growls and yelps, checking my watch I realised that only 30 minutes had gone by. We had 6 vampires and 3 Were's on our team, even if they were outnumbered slightly the fact that 3 of those vampires were definitely over 1,000 years old was in our favour.

I heard a cell go off and closed the door, finding that it was Tom's phone. The name 'Ellen' was flashing across the caller ID, for a second I wondered whether to answer or not but I figured it would be best – people don't call at 2am when they don't have a problem.

"Hi this is Tom Drummond's cell, Sookie Stackhouse speaking."

_Uh ... it's Ellen. Why do you have Tom's phone? I was hoping he'd be nearby and shift back to check voicemails regularly._

"He's taking care of some business and asked me to keep an eye on it. I can take a message."

_Right, well he asked me to keep an eye on that Fellowship church. I did a fly over and counted three buses full of zealots, I flew lower and overheard something about a protest – they were headed in the direction of the Vampire residence._

3 buses? That's well over 100 people!

"Shit not tonight! Okay thanks Ellen, I'll ... well I don't know what I'm gonna do about that right now but I'll think of something!"

_I'm gonna head over and shift again, is somethin' going down tonight? A party or some shit that you don't want protestors ruining?_

"It's not that, the residence is on minimal guard, we're up north near Shreveport dealing with something."

_I gotcha, I'll keep an eye on things and call back soon. If they've got any sense they'll just wave some placards and chant some hate songs._

I agreed with her and we said our goodbye's but this was just too coincidental. Was it plum bad luck that the Fellowship decided to mass protest at the compound tonight? At this time in the morning? No, this wasn't just their ordinary camp out at the gates yelling that vamps should burn in hell. I remembered the call that Sadie got, she was thinking about the minimal security in the residence, did she let something slip that there weren't the usual amount of guards on duty tonight? I grab my cell and call the residence, hoping that someone was available to take the call.

_LeClerq building, Bryan speaking._

"Bryan! It's Sookie; I got a call about some ... well a lot of protestors heading in the compound direction."

_How many is a lot?_

"Three bus loads. Look can I speak to Sadie?"

_Sadie? Uh ... sure, hold on I'll transfer you to the donor suite._

I listened to Hadley's heavy southern accent telling me that I was on hold and my call would be taken as soon as someone...

_Hey there, this is Vicky, how can we meet your needs?_

"Vicky! It's Sookie; I need to speak to Sadie."

_Sorry sugar she's not here._

"Not here as in not in the suite, or not in the compound at all?"

_I don't think I'm at liberty to tell you that. Why are you always snoopin' in our business anyhow?_

"Cut the defensive crap Vicky! She got a call before we all left to come north; I need to know who she spoke to."

_I'm not supposed to tell anyone._

"Jesus fucking Christ Vicky! They and you could be in danger or do you think I'd be asking for the good of my health?"

_You don't need to be pissy about it! Sadie and Cora snuck out to meet Gina._

"That's all I need to know, thank you."

I hung up without saying goodbye, I hated the fact that Tom's hunch about Gina had turned out to be right. We left around 8, the fact that the Fellowship had managed to mobilise so many of their members in less than 6 hours was pretty impressive. Unless they'd been planning something all along and the opportunity of lowered defences made them bring those plans forward. Either way, it didn't look good. Almost as soon as I'd finished that thought mine and all the other cell phones rang, chirped, buzzed and chimed with text messages. I checked mine first, it was from Rasul.

911 CMPND UNDR ATTK. FIRE DEPT & POLICE EN ROUTE. ALL STFF FIND SAFE CVR 4 NIGHT. AWAIT FRTHR INSTR.

The same message was on all of the phones. That meant the vamps across the graveyard had gotten it too. Would they have the chance to check their phones? I turned to Sam and Jason.

"I think I need to go to the Compton place, this is bad, really bad."

"It sure don't sound good Sook." Jason looked very worried. "What's going on?"

"Someone let slip that the residence was on minimum security, the Fellowship of the Sun have taken the opportunity to attack the building. It must be bad if Rasul called the fire department and the police. I need to let the other's know what's happening."

Sam nodded and pulled out his little animal book. "So we want something that's big enough for you to hide behind and fierce enough to deal with an attack if need be ... Grizzly Bear do ya?"

"Yes! Great idea Sam!" Sam started stripping as he walked out of the door. "Jason you stay here with Gran." I made sure my gun and the knife Eric gave me were close to hand in case I needed them and went outside to tell Jackson and Alcide where we were going.

Outside I spotted Sam, already in Bear form; I grabbed his clothes in case he needed them. He hunkered down and shook his head, was he asking me to climb on his back? I asked and he shook his head up and down to say 'yes', I blew out a big breath and pulled myself onto his back, gripping the fur round his neck tightly in my hands and tucking my knees either side of his ribs, using every muscle in my thighs to hold on as he loped across Gran's yard into the cemetery.

Through the tombstones I saw a couple of naked bodies lying, covered in blood as Sam got closer to the yelps and growls. I screwed my eyes closed as I heard inhuman screaming, why did I decide to come across here? Oh yeah, that's right – our home is under attack and people need to know ASAP, that was bigger than my squeamish streak at this point. Sam stopped and I opened my eyes to see Andre stabbing a sword through a wolf while another was on his back trying to chew at his neck, suddenly the wolf was knocked off Andre by a cheetah – Frank. Frank didn't have the strength to fight a wolf but he did have the speed to make guerrilla attacks. I watched him run around the building back to the woods as Pam zoomed over to finish the wolf he'd knocked on its ass.

I heard growling from behind us and turned to see a blood spattered wolf baring its teeth less than 10 feet away. Sam roared and reared up onto his hind legs, I scrambled through them and fumbled for the gun in my belt, shakily pointing it at the wolf, which was unneeded as Sam launched at it, catching it's hindquarters in his big paws and sinking his teeth into its spine.

"Sookie?"

I spun round on the ground to find the voice belonged to Hadley. She was knocked to the ground by a dark skinned female vampire who wore nothing but a Lycra bra top and cycling shorts. Hadley's sword was thrown to the ground as she fell and tried to hold off the other vamp with her hands. I ran over and jumped on the vamps back, hitting her on the back of the head with the butt of the gun but her fangs got closer and closer to ripping Hadley's throat out. Her elbow came up and I fell to the ground with a loud 'oof', I cocked the gun and aimed at her side, closing my eyes as I pulled the trigger and silently prayed I hit her and not my cousin.

There was a scream and I looked to see who it had come from, it must have hit the other vamp because now Hadley was on top and she had her sword again, pressing it into the vamps neck before using it as leverage to stand back up and take a defensive stance. I heard an awful howl coming from the direction Sam had gone in, that one second of distraction and I, gladly, missed Hadley taking off the vamps head. She ran over to crouch next to me, asking if I was okay, then jumped back, sword at the ready as Sam the Bear came towards us. I grabbed her arm telling her he was a friend.

"What the hell are you doing here Sook? You could have got hurt real bad! Although if you hadn't shot that bitch Diane I wouldn't have got the upper hand but still ... what the fuck are you thinking?"

"The compound is under attack. Stupid donors must have let slip to Gina about our trip and there being less security and Gina told her lovely new Fellowship buddies. Rasul sent a text to everyone."

Hadley checked all around her and pulled out her cell. "FUCK!"

Just then a huge dark grey wolf stopped in front of us, I pointed my gun and Sam got into attack mode but there was a horrible gloppy noise and the air shimmered as the wolf turned into Will. A very naked and aroused Will. I averted my eyes as he laughed at me.

"'sup Will? We in control?"

"Sure are Had. Diane was the last; I came out here to help but seems you got it on your lonesome."

"Not really, she'd have ripped my throat out of Sook here hadn't shot her and made her lose balance. Bad news, the compound is under attack. That's why Sook came here with her ... furry friend."

"Sam I dropped your clothes in the cemetery somewhere, sorry." He grunted and wandered off to find them, I was still turned away from Will. "Would 'ya put some damn clothes on!"

Will and Hadley snorted and I turned back to see Will's bare ass disappearing into the bushes. Hadley helped me up and we went into the Compton house, closely followed by Sam pulling his shirt over his head. The place was covered in blood; even if I'd been blind I would have been able to smell it permeating the air. In the entrance hall Bill was feeding from a naked man, must have been a were he killed, I surveyed the scene as we entered the front room, there was a group of 4 very, very scared and naked humans huddled in a corner, two male vampires were screaming in agony as they'd lost their legs and Eric was tapping his blood-smeared sword against his boot next to them. I'm not sure if he heard or smelled me arrive but he looked up at me and smiled brightly, swooping in and gathering me in his arms. I could feel his excitement at the battle pressing into my stomach as he licked along the vein in my neck, mmmmm ... no, so not the time or place!

"Couldn't wait for me lover?"

"We have a problem." Hadley interrupted. "Rasul sent a text to everyone, the compound is ..."

Our attention was shifted as Sophie-Ann let go of a badly beaten vampiress' hair, I figured it was Lorena, and fell to her knees with a pained groan emanating from her. Lorena smirked and picked up a broken chair leg, only to have it knocked out of her hand by Andre, he shouted at me to get the silver chain from a bag near the door for the bitch maker, confirming my suspicions of the vampire's identity. Quick as I could I got the heavy chain and wound it around Lorena's chest and arms like he told me to, while Eric and Hadley helped the Queen onto a dilapidated sofa.

"Siegebert, Wybert. They're gone, I felt it."

Hadley and Andre immediately wrapped their arms around her and they shared their grief. Pam and Bill came into the room, Bill took a sword from Pam's hand and finished off the two legless vampires, possibly to shut them up which I was glad of. Will strolled in and asked where Tom, Frank and Longshadow were.

"Dealing with the bodies." Pam grinned, her mouth stained red.

Eric pulled me closer against him and nuzzled his face into my neck. "How many in total?"

"Eight Were's and four vamps – including El Madre Diablo over there." Pam sauntered over and flicked at Lorena's nose with her fingertips before turning to me. "I thought you were supposed to be holed up somewhere safe little telepath?"

"Yes, well, I was but I got some news. The Fellowship attacked the royal residence tonight, going by the reaction the Queen just had, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say it was a seriously major attack."

Andre stood up when his phone started buzzing, he announced it was Rasul and put him on speakerphone.

"Rasul what have you to report?"

"It's a mess Andre. Me and Melanie managed to get out but the whole building is alight. The protestors were organised and knew exactly where to enter the grounds of the residence with the petrol bombs, they started with the vampire wing."

"What of the guards? They were trained to extinguish fires; did no-one call the fire department?"

"The guards were taken out, it was four against one in most cases, the attackers had silver nets and tasers. Other groups of protestors blocked the roads to prevent the fire appliances from making it close enough to the building to put out the fires. It all over the news by now, the police were all over them."

"Very well, there is no chance that we'll be back before sunrise. Go to ground and we will be in contact."

The humans in the corner were taken away by Frank and Will after being glamoured, Pam laughed and instructed them to set them free in their natural habitat. Andre asked Bill what he wanted to do with the house; Bill told him to burn it to the ground. Not only did it house the memories of his human life but now it was the somewhere he'd apparently been held captive and tortured. Bill said if the VRA goes through he'll claim the land and might do something with that but the house was something he never wanted to see again.

Although the battle had ended on a rather sour note with the passing of the Bert's and our home being attacked and destroyed, that just meant that the bloodlust had been bolstered with rage. I watched Andre and Bill put on heavy leather gloves and squeeze Lorena into the trunk of Andre's Bentley, she tried to command Bill not to do it as his maker but Andre broke her jaw before she could finish the sentence. I was very conscious of the fact that Eric had been rubbing against me and growling throughout the entire thing, I'd managed to swat his wandering hands away but I knew there was only so long I could put him off and the looks the other vamps were giving me told me that we had to get back to the donors as soon as possible.

Sam ran back through the graveyard to get his truck and ask Jackson and Alcide to meet back at Merlotte's as we all piled into cars. I had barely closed the door of the Corvette when Eric launched himself at me, half kissing, half chewing his way along my jaw and neck, all the while pulling me into the driver's seat to straddle him. The fact that there was no way he was getting my jeans off in this position clued me in to how fogged his brain actually was, if he couldn't think then I guess I'd have to do that for both of us. I'll be damned if he's ripping my clothes off and I have to walk back to Gran's naked!

I opened the door and leaned to the side pulling Eric as I went, effectively making both of us fall out of the car and roll towards the edge of the graveyard. We pulled at each other's clothes until we were both naked in the dirt and leaves, I couldn't believe I was actually doing this but it's infinitely better on a privacy scale than what would have happened if we'd made it back to Merlotte's. I felt Eric's hand dip between my thighs, checking my readiness before kneeling and pull me on top of him. I wasn't as aroused as I'd been the previous times but enough that it wasn't painful as he entered me, with one arm around my waist and a hand behind my neck he pounded into me faster than I ever imagined he could.

Eric was like an animal, grunting as he rutted his prey, his hand left my neck and pushed me backwards so my shoulders were on the cold ground and he leaned forward and latched onto my breast. Leaves and twigs were getting woven into my hair with his merciless thrusting, I cried out in a mixture of pleasure and pain as I felt my body coil in the beginnings of my climax. Eric's hips slowed a little and his stokes became longer, pulling almost all the way out before driving back into me and his thumb found my clit, pressing tight circles at vampire speed. I couldn't breathe, my cries had turned to feral wails as Eric's fangs sank into my breast and my body exploded in orgasm as he drank deeply. I was shuddering under the force of my completion when Eric threw his head back and roared as he met his own, collapsing on top of me with his head on my chest, panting.

"Sookie I ... your scent and thinking about how sweet your blood is ... I couldn't control myself any longer."

"It's ... okay, I think." I yelped in pain when I tried to move, my entire back was one big graze and my elbows felt like they'd been shredded.

"No, I've injured you. We should get you somewhere you can clean up. I'm ... sorry, I don't like that I hurt you physically."

"Apology accepted although I enjoyed it at the time." I lifted an arm to check things out and saw it was covered in a mixture of mud and blood. "Urgh! I'm gonna look like a mummy with the amount of bandages ... hey wait! Your blood can heal me right?"

Eric looked sceptical but nodded. "You are asking me to heal you? I have already had your blood, it would be another exchange."

"Oh right. Well I understand if you don't want that, I'll just get better the old fashioned way." I tried to grin but it came out as a grimace as I shuffled around looking for my clothes. Eric grabbed my wrist lightly; his eyes were soft as he pulled me back into his lap.

"I didn't say I didn't want it, I just wanted to make you aware that it would bring us closer. The fact that I want more of my blood in you is strange to me; I've never _wanted_ to be ... this close to a human before."

He kissed me, exploring my mouth tenderly with his tongue, I thought I'd nicked my lip on his fang when I tasted the blood but I realised that he'd cut his own lip and tongue to donate his blood for my healing. I sucked at the source of the thick metallic liquid and Eric groaned, hardening once more beneath me. I could feel the skin on my back and arms knitting itself together, Eric making more cuts to feed me as our kisses became more passionate.

He laid back and I moved my thighs either side of his hips, his rigid length so close to my mound. The tingling in my skin subsided and was replaced by a need to feel all of him inside me with every swallow of blood I took. I came up for air and lowered my hips onto his shaft, impaling myself on his cock, filling myself with him. Eric hissed and growled.

"Bite me Lover, take more, it feels so good."

I sank my blunt teeth into his neck and he cried out and bucked beneath me as I drew from the wound. As I rode him towards ecstasy, I saw the flash of torchlight through the trees and froze in place, focussing on the mind of whoever was approaching.

"It's Jason!" Eric huffed with disappointment as I haphazardly threw on my jeans and shirt, grabbing at my underwear. "Aren't you gonna put some clothes on? Geez, you Supes don't care who see you naked!"

Eric laughed and pulled his pants back on just as Jason waved the hand holding the torch and called out to me.

"Hey Sook! There y'are, I called the bar to find out what happened, Sam came by a while ago to get his truck I figured you'd be ..." He took in Eric's half dressed form and my dishevelled appearance before pointing a shotgun in Eric's direction. "Were you just fucking my baby sister in the graveyard?"


	17. Big Me

**Sookie, Interrupted – Chapter 17 – Big Me**

"Its skanky, gross, disrespectful ... plus it's unhygienic!"

"Jase I'm a big girl and Eric is my ... is my ... uh ..."

"Companion." Eric strode forward towering over Jason. "Eric Northman, you must be my Sookie's brother."

"Yeah that's kinda why I called her my baby Sister. What the hell is a companion anyhow?"

"It's just a fancy way of him sayin' I'm his girlfriend. Y'know how vampires can be Jase!"

Eric quirked an eyebrow and Jason lowered his gun. "Well, no. I don't know how vampires can be, that's your bag Sis, I never met me a vamp yet."

Jason stuck out his hand and Eric just looked at it. I explained that vampires didn't do the handshake thing and Jason scratched his head with the torch he was holding. "Well, if you're done it'd be good for you to come back home and tell me what's been goin' on. Especially with your boyfriend here."

"You go back Jase; we'll drive round and see you in a minute." Jason nodded and headed back through the graveyard and Eric and I got back in his car. "Well that was embarrassing."

"Lover, we were taking part in a completely natural act. Just to clarify, being a companion is so much more than the casual romantic association of being boyfriend and girlfriend. Besides, I am _so_ not a boy."

"I know that Eric, I know it's natural and healthy and ... good. Very good. I also know the difference between being companions and dating, but Jason doesn't. Girlfriend is the closest word I could think of to describe what I am to you so Jason could understand."

Eric started the car at the same time Frank, Tom and Will returned, we watched them unload canisters of gasoline from the trunk. I guessed Bill was really serious about burning his family home to the ground. The drive back to Gran's was short and we pulled up at the same time Jason was striding towards the porch. He waited at the door for us, holding it open with a serious look on his face.

"Eric, neither me nor Jason live here, will we be able to invite you in?"

"It's a family home?" I nodded. "I should have no problems entering."

"Okay, well, Eric would you please come inside."

Jason went to the kitchen, probably for more beer, and I settled on the sofa with Eric, noting that the glass of tea I'd started earlier was still there. Eric was looking around the room with curiosity when Jason came back in and sat on the armchair closest to Eric, staring at him pointedly before turning his gaze to me.

"Is Gran safe?"

"Yes, the vamps are gone. I'm sure we'll be able to piece everything together between talking to Bill and Lorena." Jason's shoulders relaxed with relief.

"So Eric ... what are your intentions towards my sister?"

"Jason! Seriously! What century is this? You have no right to ask ..." Eric held a hand up to let me know he wanted to answer my brother's question. It seemed a little over the top to me but it was nice that Eric wanted to humour him.

"I intend to keep her safe from harm and satiate her appetites."

"Uh ... well just so you know - if you hurt her I'll come after you myself."

"I just told you I intend to keep her safe; no physical injury will be imparted upon her unless I am incapacitated somehow."

I lightly touched Eric's arm. "He doesn't mean it like that Eric; he's not talking about my ... body being hurt but my heart."

Jason nodded and took a swig of his drink. "You make her cry, I'll stake you. You cheat on her, I'll stake you. You try and make her do somethin' she don't wanna do, I'll stake you. You get what I'm sayin' Eric?" Anger flashed in Eric's eyes and I squeezed his arm and offered a strained smile at him.

"Sookie has already imparted her conditions and I will respect them." Eric took my hand and smiled at me. "Besides I have become quite ... attached to Sookie, I am aware of what human women want and would not knowingly do anything to derail any progress I have made."

I didn't have to read Jason's mind to tell he was a little confused. "What Eric means is that I've already laid down the law and he likes me and he's not a dumbass."

Jason nodded and smiled, happy that I'd translated things into a language he could understand. An uncomfortable silence crept into the room, Jason chugged his beer and stared at Eric's hand wrapped in mine. I picked up my glass of tea to take a sip, even though it felt a little warmer than I'd like, when the shrill tone of my phone made me jump and the glass slipped out of my hand onto the floor. Luckily it didn't break; I picked up the glass and asked Jason to go get a towel while I answered the call.

"Hello?" I hadn't even looked at the name on the screen it had given me such a fright.

_Sookie, its Bobby. Eric isn't answering his phone._ I saw Eric take his cell from his pocket and inspect the deep crack across the front of the screen. _Did Eric go to Fangtasia after he dropped you off?_

"What? No, he didn't he's ..."

_Shit! He didn't come in with the other vamps, they've all gone and I'm stuck outside Merlotte's with 3 vapid fangbangers while he's off getting his own meal!_

"Three? Really?" I glared at Eric and he grinned proudly, resulting in my glare turning to a scowl.

_Yeah Pam told me to keep one of each for him, that's what he likes after a fight._

"Well he's been with me the whole time, he's here right now. His phone got broken. Would you like to speak to him?"

_He's with you ... uh ... are you okay?_

"I'm fine, great actually; do you want to talk to him?"

_Uh ... yeah sure._

I handed my phone to Eric and started helping Jason clear up the spilled tea; some of it had soaked into the rug unfortunately.

"No Bobby, I do not require donors ... Miss Stackhouse saw to my needs ... I urge you to choose your next words wisely Mr. Burnham ... she is in perfect health and I assure you she does not feel used ... take them back to where you found them ... I have keys for the Minden safe house, I will be staying there ... very well."

Eric handed the phone back to me and I looked at the screen and realised the call was still connected.

"Bobby, did you want to talk to me?"

_Yeah Sookie. The Were guards are travelling back to New Orleans as soon as they've rested a little, do you want one of them to pick you up or will you be accompanying Mr. Northman back to the compound?_

"Well, I'd like to spend the day with my Gran, make sure she's recovering okay and everything." I looked at Eric and he said he would be happy to give me a ride, smirk and eyebrow in place. "Eric has volunteered himself to get me back to New Orleans ... even if there isn't a home left there."

_Yes I heard about the attack. If you're in Bon Temps Tomorrow can I come and see you, just to talk?_

"Sure Bobby, I'm usually up and around by 3, do you want to meet somewhere?"

_Merlotte's at 4pm?_

"That's fine, see you then, bye."

_Bye Sookie._

I ended the call and took the sodden towel through to the back porch before doing the same thing with the rug. It was a multitude of colours in a Persian style, so I doubted it would stain. It had been a long night, I'd think about the rug tomorrow. I walked back through to find Jason waiting at the kitchen door, he pulled me into a big hug and told me he hoped to see me tomorrow at some point, I said that I was meeting someone at Merlotte's if he wanted to have an early dinner with me after he finished his shift with the road crew and he thought that was a good idea. I went back into the living room to find Eric in the same position as I left him. I stared at his back, remembering what Bobby had told me. Three women? He usually goes through THREE donors after a fight? Well colour me inadequate! How the hell am I supposed to deal with this?

"Sookie. I can feel your anger and insecurity." Eric turned towards me and held out his hands, I sat on the chair across from him and saw watched his eyes harden. "This is about the donors isn't it?"

"Yes." I folded my arms across my chest. "If you're still hungry and horny don't let me stand in your way, I'm sure you have better ... things to do."

He growled and in a flash he was in front of the chair, leaning into my body, his face only a few inches from mine.

"I have no burning need for blood or sex at this moment but I will not have you judge me for my past behaviours. I am a vampire Sookie, I have killed, I have warred, I have ripped my enemies' limb from limb with my bare hands and, yes, I have fed from and fucked more women than you could probably meet in your lifetime. I have taken part in orgies drenched in the blood of my foe and the juices of my conquests. I. Will. Not. Apologise."

I whimpered in fear as he pulled away from me. "Eric I ... I know what you are and I can only guess what you've done over your 1,000 years on this earth. We've been ... stuck together but I like it, I like you and it hurts when I think I can't measure up or compete or keep you satisfied." I set my jaw and raised my head to meet his eyes. "If you don't want me to get angry at you for your vampire behaviour you have no right to get angry at me for my human behaviour!"

"That will be ... difficult." He placed his hands on my knees and rubbed them gently. "But I am sure that we will come to an understanding ... in time."

"Thank you, for at least saying you'll try. I'll try not to let things get to me so much, it was just ... a shock y'know, after what we did to find that ..."

"You, one woman, were enough to satisfy me and slake my thirsts when it would normally take three ... or more?"

"I didn't think of it like that, before Bobby called I didn't really think of it at all but ..."

"You thought I would fly off to continue elsewhere? Despite the fact I agreed to have you as my only lover and food source?"

"You were in a fight. That changes the rules a little."

"Not really. I am old and have more control but you are ... different. How can I put this?" He looked away from me and furrowed his brow a little before smiling and locking his eyes with mine. "The blood and sex from donors or fangbangers is like ... those foul-smelling plastic dishes you put in the microwave and you are like a divine meal in a five star restaurant."

"They're okay in a fix but you'd rather eat me?"

"Oh yes Lover." He brought his lips to mine and stroked me through my jeans. "I would most definitely rather eat you."

I grabbed his wrist to stop him going too far. "Not here, Gran isn't far away, she'll hear us and besides you should get somewhere safe for sunrise."

"Sunrise is still far enough away for us to have some fun and I know many ways to muffle your screams of pleasure."

He kissed me and took me over to the couch, while I whispered weak protests. I've heard people say that the thrill of getting caught makes everything more intense, now I knew first hand.

OoOoO

I woke up groggy and in desperate need of a shower at 11am. As suspected, Gran made her disapproval of my late nights evident by making a drum kit out of every pot in the kitchen. I cleaned up quickly and went out to see if the noise was breakfast related or simply to wake me up. I remembered the chorus of text messages I received just before I got to bed and figured I'd be in a better state of mind to read them after some food and caffeine.

"Morning Gran."

"Sookie darling!" she pulled me into a tight hug. "Now you sit child. I've got your favourite blueberry pancakes keeping warm for you and a whole pot of coffee for us to work through!"

I nodded and managed to make it through 2 whole pancakes and half a cup of coffee before she asked me to tell her everything that had been happening. I made it through the rest of the cup and another pancake while trying to put everything into the right words. Timing through pancakes might not be accurate but it's all I had, I could have been sitting at that table for hours dreading this conversation.

I took a deep breath and started with Waldo wanting to get rid of Hadley, leading onto Lorena and the Nevada Vamps, my companionship with Eric, learning about Waldo's entire plan, her phone call that made me put the pieces together as to where Bill was and finally what happened last night (minus the graveyard and couch sex parts of course) at the Compton house and in New Orleans. When I was done she sat back in her chair and repeated her shocking words from the previous night.

"Well shit! That would explain the smell around here today if the old Compton place got burned down and with me bein' the only other soul no-one would call the volunteers. Maybe a fresh start is the best for everyone; the phoenix rises from the ashes after all."

"If I hadn't been working for Sophie-Ann this might not have happened. You'd have been safe."

"What if those vampires moved in anyway and Bill didn't know who we were? I'd have been in even more danger if I couldn't get a message to you and if you didn't know what signs to look for."

"Well ... I guess that's true. What's happened has happened, there's no point in 'what if's' or anything like that. The bottom line is that they weakened you and took advantage of you, now I don't know what they'll be doing with Lorena but you can be sure I'll have a few choice words for her!"

"I bet you will Sookie!"

Gran laughed and slapped her thigh before excusing herself to do some housework, I turned the TV on trying to get some more information about what went on back at the residence last night, the fire department were still trying to douse the last of the fires and the police hadn't released details on how many arrests had been made yet. Crap! The texts! I grabbed my phone to find messages from Bill, Sophie-Ann, Hadley and Eric.

Seemed like everyone wanted to come and pay us a visit after sunset! Bill wanted to apologise personally to my Gran for using her, Hadley wanted to know if Gran would like to see her, Sophie-Ann would like to apologise to Gran on behalf of the Louisiana vampires and Eric wanted to meet the woman who Hadley and I respected so much. I checked with Gran and she said it was fine because it wasn't like she'd have to make a big meal for them or anything!

It wasn't even 2pm yet so I decided to give her a hand, after well over an hour of scrubbing, wiping and dusting, I showered again before mooching a lift to Merlotte's from Gran. She hummed happily in the driver's seat but I could tell there was something bothering her, sure enough we'd just turned onto Hummingbird Road when she came out with it.

"Where will you live now Sookie? If the building's been destroyed where will you go?"

"I'm not sure. It's something that I guess I'll need to speak to Sophie-Ann about. It's not set in stone but the general idea I get is that I go where she goes."

"Well you be sure to keep me posted, I need to know you're safe no matter where you are."

"I know Gran, don't worry I'll always keep in touch and try to visit whenever I can."

"Good, we wouldn't want you to be a stranger!" She sighed and looked down into her lap as we stopped outside Merlotte's. "We've lost so much time with you child. All those years because my Son and his wife were scared of their own baby. I tried to get you out of there but the doctor's insisted that you had to be treated, that because of your outbursts you could put the public in danger."

"I did attack the cheerleading captain with a 2 by 4 but if she hadn't been thinking about accusing Jason of rape if her daddy ever caught them in his truck it never would've happened!"

"I know that. Well I didn't know the details but I knew it must have been something bad to justify her having to get her nose reconstructed."

"I should get inside, I think that's Bobby's car. Jason will be giving me a ride back so I'll see you in a few hours."

"Okay Sookie. I'll see you soon."

We stayed locked in a bear hug for a good few minutes before I actually left the car. I walked into the bar and waved to Sam who was filling a pitcher of beer, he smiled and nodded at a booth near the back where Bobby sat. His suit and neat haircut made him stand out in a bar full of rednecks and it was obvious he was uncomfortable. I slid into the booth across from him and smiled, just as I was about to say hello a waitress came over to take my order.

I asked for some chicken fingers and ginger ale, it was the red-headed waitress I remembered from before. Noting her pained expression I looked into her mind, she was punishing herself for letting a murderer like Rene into her home with her children. I wanted to tell her that she didn't know, that she couldn't know, that it wasn't her fault ... but I knew that nothing I could say would make her feel better. I sighed sadly as she wiggled away to get my food and drink, so much pain in the world and even if I could see a way to prevent it, what difference could I really make? I shook those thoughts out of my head and tried to focus on the task at hand.

"Hi Bobby. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing okay. Been quiet with Mr. Northman being in New Orleans, I knew he was there for business but he didn't tell me he was there for pleasure too!" There wasn't any malice or jealousy behind his words, as we'd discussed, our activities shouldn't be mentioned in any way, shape or form.

"Well after you guys left Baton Rouge there was a thing, Bill got called by his maker so I was left guard less. Eric happened to be there at the time and took over. When we got back to the residence Sophie-Ann thought it was a good arrangement all round for the interim."

He nodded and sipped his coffee. "And things just escalated. It happens when you spend time with someone."

"Uh ... kind of. We decided it would be a good idea for him to ... claim me. If other vamps thought I was his they'd leave me alone but even though it was an arranged kind of thing we're enjoying it."

"Yeah." He laughed. "I can't tell you how disappointed those girls were last night when I told them he'd been taken care of. I take it you had a case of Trueblood at the ready?"

"Well y'know Eric's real old and he wasn't injured so he didn't need much." I desperately searched the bar to see if my meal was coming so I could get out of what was just another uncomfortable conversation to add to all the other's I've had the last 48 hours. "So was there a particular reason for us meeting or did you just want to catch up?"

"Just to catch up mostly, I was pretty shocked when Mr. Northman came in holding your hand last night. Even though you've told me that he's claimed you, I've never seen another vampire be so ... affectionate with a pet."

Just then the waitress, Arlene, came with my food. I smiled and thanked her enthusiastically, hoping that having a good customer would make her feel a little better. I took a bite of one of the chicken fingers and thought about how to explain things to Bobby.

"Well, I'm not a pet, I'm his companion. I'm not expected to run errands and he doesn't have any real need or desire to control me but he does feed from me and there's a ... uh ... physical aspect to the relationship. I've asked that he be monogamous."

If Bobby's eyes opened any wider his eyeballs would just pop right out of his big 'ol' sockets. "He ... agreed?"

"Yes. He agreed to be monogamous for the duration of his stay in the residence."

"Wow. That's pretty impressive! I would say that you must be something pretty special but ... anyway I guess things have been ... interesting for you since we last met."

"Interesting is probably the last word I'd use, hectic, terrifying, exhausting!"

We both laughed and settled to sipping our drinks in silence while I finished my chicken. Then Jason came bounding in with the rest of the road crew, yelling at Arlene for a beer and shoving himself into the booth with me and Bobby.

"Hey Sook! You cleaned up nice after your extra-curriculum activities! Who's your pal here?"

"Jason this is Bobby Burnham, Bobby this is my brother Jason. Bobby works for the same people I do."

"Cool." Jason stuck his hand out and Bobby looked at it for a second before shaking it. "Good, I thought you were funny about shakin' hands too. Seems like a stupid rule ta me, they don't wanna shake but they'll screw you in the dirt? That's fucked up!"

"JASON!"

Bobby's face flushed and he made his excuses, asking me to call him and let him know what was happening in New Orleans. Jason ordered a burger Lafayette and I ordered some fries and another ginger ale. While we ate Jason asked about Eric, what Bobby did for the vamps, how Gran was and if there was something big in New Orleans going down.

"Well I'm not sure what I'm going back to. The Fellowship of the Sun burned down the building we live in early this morning."

"Hey I saw smoke over by the old Compton place, do you think they caught wind of vamps there and burned that down too?"

"No Jase, that was something else."

"So you might not have anywhere to live? That sucks, just because they don't like vamps my baby sister is out on the street!"

"I'm not out on the street Jason, I'm sure Sophie-Ann will find somewhere for me to stay while things get sorted. That being said I'm not excusing their behaviour or beliefs!"

Jason grumbled an agreement and vowed that if he ever saw any Fellowship freaks he'd show them how personally he took the attack on my home. I looked out of the window and saw the sky turning pink.

"You about ready to go brother o' mine? We got night visitors over at Gran's; I want to get there before they do."

"Your man comin' back for ya?"

"Kind of. I was hopin' you'd hang around for it, Hadley's gonna be there."

"Seriously?" A piece of burger fell out of the side of his mouth onto his lap. "Well let's get goin'! I'll stop at my house and clean up real quick first but we'll get to Gran's before it's too dark – there's no way I'm missin' this!"


	18. Have it All

**Sookie, Interrupted – Chapter 18 – Have It All**

_A/N: Brief timeline for the last few chapters:_

_Sunday – Sookie's reading at Nosferatu's_

_Monday – Sookie & Eric become companions_

_Tuesday – Sookie gets call from Gran that makes her suspicious_

_Wednesday – Sookie Kills Waldo_

_Thursday – Gran compelled to call Sookie_

_Friday – Fight at the Compton house_

_And now it's Saturday, wow quite the action packed week for our little telepath!_

Jason was quickly getting showered and changed as my phone rang, it was Eric. I looked out of the window to see the sun hadn't fully set yet and he told me he could rise a little earlier as he was older but had to stay in his light tight room until dark. He wanted to know if we would mind Pam joining us tonight, she thought a family get together was the perfect place to glean valuable snippets to tease people with. I told him there were going to be plenty of vampires there already and one more probably wouldn't make a difference.

Just then Jason came back out and I called Gran to see if she wanted me to pick anything up on the way back but she said she was prepared and excited about our nocturnal visitors. The ride there was filled with Jason asking lots of questions about vampires. No, as far as I know garlic doesn't kill them. Yes, they have reflections in the mirror and get photos taken just like anyone else. No, they aren't scared of crosses or other religious artefacts.

When I told Gran the Pam would be coming she asked who she was and I told her straight, Pam was Eric's child. I then went on to explain that Hadley was Sophie-Ann's child, just so there wouldn't be any more shocks, and they were in love and cared about each other a great deal.

"So Hadley's a rug muncher?"

"JASON! Let's not apply labels, people fall in love, sexual orientation and love are two different things."

"Geez. Sorry Sook!"

"Sookie's right Jason. We can't help who we fall in love with, if they're happy then that's all that matters." Gran slapped Jason's hand as it crept towards the platter of snacks she had made for us human's and asked me how she should serve the Trueblood.

"Uh ... I'm not sure. I've never seen a vampire drink it."

Both Jason and Gran looked confused but Gran spoke first. "But I thought that was the whole point of them coming out to the public? They no longer needed to feed on humans because they had this."

"Well they don't have to feed on human blood if they don't want to, but most of them do and there are registered human donors who allow them to feed from them." I shrugged and turned to Jason. "Just because you can buy venison in the supermarket are you gonna stop hunting when the season comes?"

"What? No! It don't taste the same unless you shoot it and work for it."

"It's a little the same. The synthetic blood will keep them alive but feeding from a donor is ... a better experience."

"Well what should I do with these?"

I took a bottle from the fridge and read the instructions. "Says here they only take 30 seconds to heat in the microwave, so it's probably best to leave them in there and if any of our visitors want one we can take out as many as we need."

Gran nodded and started taking glasses out of a cupboard and Jason looked at me with his head cocked to one side like a curious puppy.

"Your man ... Eric. He feed off you?"

I gulped and cleared my throat. "Yes."

Gran dropped a glass and came over to give me a hug. "Oh child I'm so sorry!"

"What? Why?" I looked in her eyes and remembered everything she'd been through the last few days. "It's not like that Gran, he's very gentle and he doesn't make me forget afterwards. It doesn't hurt and he always heals any marks he leaves."

Jason snorted. "From what Dawn blabbed on about, it's anything but gentle and she was covered in fang marks." He shook his head. "I guess you got yourself a good one Sook."

"It's a bit different Jason, Dawn was a fangbanger. She went to vampires specifically for sex and to be bitten; she used them as much as they used her."

"Yeah." He looked forlornly at his beer. "I guess she used a lot of people."

There was a loud knocking on the door and all three of us wandered into the hall to answer it. Gran opened the door and the three of us put on our 100 watt Stackhouse smiles to greet whoever was there. Hadley was front and centre with Andre and Sophie-Ann either side, behind them stood Eric, Pam and Bill.

"Everyone, please come in. You're all welcome in my home."

Gran stood back and allowed them to pass her, while me and Jason ushered them into the living room. As Eric nodded and passed her, Gran caught my attention and jerked her head slightly mouthing 'Is he yours?' I nodded and she looked at his back, her eyes widening as they settled on his butt. She looked back at me and when everyone was inside she nudged my arm and fanned herself with her other hand. I giggled and shook my head, she might be old but she sure as hell wasn't blind!

In the living room the vampires were surrounding Sophie-Ann as she sat on the armchair by the fireplace – Gran's usual chair – while Jason sat in the chair by the window and Gran and I sat on the sofa. For a while it seemed like everyone was waiting for someone else to speak, then I realised that I was the middleman, middlewoman, middleperson? I nervously stood and introduced the vampires to my family that still had a heartbeat. Gran and Jason nodding and smiling nervously, I could hear Jason thinking he should just keep his mouth shut and smile cos if he said the wrong thing there's no way he could take all of them. His thoughts changed to a place I didn't want to follow when I introduced Pam.

"Well that's the introductions out of the way! Can I get any of you a Trueblood?"

Every vampire looked at Gran like she'd just offered them dung but Hadley spoke first, probably because she knew how much our Gran liked good manners.

"Thank you for offering Gran but I ate before I left the safe house. Perhaps later?" She looked at all of the vampires and I could tell Gran was getting rather annoyed by their attitude. Hadley must have been communicating with Sophie-Ann through their mind link because just as Gran was about to stand and excuse herself to get some sweet tea for us, the Queen spoke.

"As Hadley said, we ate very recently but we will be sure to let you know if we require the synthetic blood you most graciously purchased for our visit." Andre nodded and murmured his agreement.

"I will have a Trueblood Ma'am; I was starved during my time across the way and need to keep my strength up." Bill piped up in a more southern accent than usual, then Eric followed his lead.

"I have not fed yet this evening, I will also partake." He looked at Pam; well glared would be a more accurate description.

"I am fine, thank you for the offer of a beverage but I do not require one at this time."

Gran smiled and I went into the kitchen with her to get the drinks. While the microwave was heating the bloods and Gran had finished pouring the tea, she put one hand on her hip and turned to me.

"Your ... companion is it?"

I nodded. "Eric Northman." 

"Yes, Eric. He's quite the looker, you seem happy with him."

"I am happy, he's very respectful."

"Hmm ... I've seen a lot in the papers about girls who have gotten involved with vampires. Did he ... has he used his glamour on you?"

"Oh no! He can't! I can't be glamoured Gran, well not so far anyway."

"I see, so it's all your choice?"

I frowned and wondered where exactly this conversation was going. "Yes, mostly. There have been some things I've had to do for my safety but it's been my choice to act upon the attraction we have for one another."

"You know men that handsome were born to break hearts don't you?"

"Yes but I also know that less than six months ago I never thought I'd get the opportunity to give my heart enough for someone to break. I'm happy right now and I'm still ... in awe of the changes I've had in my life, I have feelings for Eric which is something I never thought I'd have the chance to have. So just let me enjoy the moment Gran, if it all goes to hell ... well I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."

She nodded and put a hand on my shoulder. "As much as I don't want you to get hurt, I'm glad you're actually ... living. Not just existing in that hospital."

The drinks were put on a tray and we walked back into the living room to find all of the vampires staring at us. Crap! Stupid super-hearing! Eris was grinning, as was Pam, in fact the only one of the bunch who looked less than pleased was Bill – he seemed kind of sullen, but maybe that was a result of the starvation. I also noticed Jason had dragged the window chair over closer to the vampires and now Pam was sitting on it and he was perched on the arm with his elbow casually resting on the back.

Once everyone was settled with drinks we started on the events of the last few days. Bill confirmed that on Monday night my Gran had come to the Compton house to introduce herself, as soon as she said her last name Bill knew who she was, Lorena then fed from her in front of a chained up Bill and made him glamour her to forget. The next night was the same. Then on Wednesday night Malcolm, Liam and Diane had show up with their captives, again Bill was made to glamour Gran but while they were having an orgy he took the opportunity to try and send a message to me.

It was horrible how Bill had been held captive in silver chains and starved but I was quite thankful that he hadn't fed from my Gran too – commanded by maker or not, that was something I'd never forget about even if I did forgive him. Hadley asked Gran to show her the marks and Gran lifted the sleeves of her blouse to show us.

"I'll fucking kill her!"

"Hadley! You may be a vampire now but you are still my granddaughter. I will not tolerate that kind of language in my home!"

"I ... I'm sorry Gran. I just can't stand to see you looking like some ... like some common fangbanger! I can heal them, if you'll let me?"

Sophie-Ann put her hand on Hadley's arm and they exchanged a meaningful glance. "Mrs. Stackhouse, Hadley is correct in that a vampire's blood can heal but she is so young it would take you ingesting quite an amount of her blood to make any kind of difference. If I may make the suggestion that I be the one to heal your wounds? I can apply my blood directly to the marks and that should prevent them from scarring."

"Oh. Well it's a lovely offer ..."

"Psht." Sophie-Ann waved a hand. "If it were not for you I would not have my Hadley or my Sookie." At that Eric gave a slight growl behind her. "Sorry, our Sookie. Also I believe this incident wouldn't have happened if one of my other children hadn't gone quite mad with jealousy. I feel it is the least I can do."

Gran nodded and followed Hadley and Sophie-Ann into the bathroom, Andre stood guard outside the door or maybe he just wanted to be close to the remainder of his vampire family. Seeing as there was nothing to really guard against I was willing to bet it was the latter.

"So Pam." Please Jason ... don't do it. "Seein' as my sister is datin' your Dad here, maybe we could all go out together, a double date." Oh Lord!

"Um ... a double date is out of the question. You aren't my usual type but you smell nice. I will consider booty call but refuse to commit to anything more." I saw Jason's eyes light up.

"Okay! So, Bill, how are you feeling now?" Yes, Sookie, make it painfully obvious you want to change the subject!

"I'm ... relieved at being released from my captivity, Lorena always took such joy in treating me badly. We spent a lot of time together after I was turned, we were very close, in a way I love her and I always will but I know that the Queen will not tolerate Lorena disobeying her so blatantly. I know that very soon I will be free of Lorena's control, as long as she walks the earth I will be enthralled by her."

I looked at Pam then Eric. "Is that unusual? I mean you guys seem to enjoy working together and are more like friends than maker and child."

"It is fairly common for makers to abuse their children but Lorena kept Bill tethered to her for an inordinately long time after his turning. I released Pam a long time ago and, because we have a mutual respect, she agreed to come back to me to work at Fangtasia."

Bill looked at Pam with a cold expression, whether he was jealous or thought she was spoiled was anyone's guess. Gran, Hadley, Sophie-Ann and Andre came back in and started making noises about getting back to New Orleans to check the damage on the compound and deal with the various problems that had become apparent over the last few nights. I went to get my bag from my room and came back to find Gran and Eric alone in the living room. Eric must have heard me because he turned his head in my direction, causing Gran to notice me too.

"Come here child!" I went over and gave her a big hug and a kiss on the forehead, telling her I'd call her as soon as I knew what was happening. "Well, you get outside now and wait for your man. I'd like a chat with him before y'all run off."

Oh dear. Maybe I should have tried to prepare him a little better? It's possible she's just going to say much the same things Jason did the night before but Gran has always been a little unpredictable. I hope Eric will be okay.

"Is he getting the third degree from your Grandmother?"

"Yes Pam, I believe he is."

Pam cackled and unlocked a bubblegum pink Audi TT, her head still thrown back in laughter as she peeled away from the farmhouse. I went over to stand next to Eric's corvette to find Bill already there.

"Sookie, I was hoping I'd get the chance to speak to you in private."

"Sure Bill, what do you want to talk about?"

"Well, first I'd like to thank you, from the bottom of my unbeating heart for being astute enough to get my message. I thought you would be able to understand the implications of your Gran's call but at my lowest points I had some doubts." I nodded, that was understandable. "The other thing I wanted to speak to you about was the Northman. I understand that you're his now but I just wanted to make sure you weren't tricked or forced into anything."

"My Gran asked me that too! There are some things that have been agreed to for my security but I haven't been forced or tricked into anything, I assure you. I do appreciate you looking out for me though Bill."

"Sookie, I can smell that you've had his blood and I know that you're aware of the control that gives a vampire."

"It was an accident; I really didn't know what I was doing."

"You were injured and he took advantage of you? Were you so badly injured you couldn't go to a hospital? Oh Sookie I had no idea!"

"What? No! I ... uh ... got caught up in the moment and it turns out my teeth are pretty sharp."

Bill's eyes were opened so wide I could see the whites around the whole of his chocolate brown irises. "And yet here you are, standing before me. You must certainly be something very special Sookie; however, I know when my advances will make no progress. I would have liked you to be mine but I respect your decision and your personal affairs but be assured that if I catch the slightest hint that he is mistreating you, I will get involved."

"Thank you Bill but I don't think you'll need to do that. I'm glad I have you looking out for me though."

I put my hand on his shoulder and patted, knowing that if I got any closer it may give the wrong impression to Bill and Eric. Bill walked over to Andre's Bentley, which from the sounds of things still had Lorena in the trunk, and got in next to Hadley in the back seat. I leaned against the Corvette and waved at them as they drove off, just then I heard voices and saw Gran seeing Eric to the door. He looked a little flustered and Gran looked smug, that sure wasn't a good combination. We got in the car and waved goodbye to Bon Temps.

"Eric, where did Pam and Jason go?"

"I think your brother offered her a tour of his home."

I groaned and leaned over, putting my head in my hands, this had the potential to be very stressful. "So what did Gran say?"

"Oh ... much the same as your brother. With the addition of warning me that I should never stand in your way of meeting a nice southern man who can give you a family." I laughed. "Sookie, I am unsure of why that would be amusing."

"Oh Gran! I got put in the looney bin for my mind mojo, my childhood was hell and she thinks I'd ever take the risk of passing it onto a kid? Not only that, but being with a human man for a prolonged period of time would be ... unbearable for me. Having to block out his thoughts all the time would be incredibly draining. Eric, honey, there's nothing to stand in the way of."

He smiled and nodded. I knew that his bugbear would be having to concede me to what he considered an inferior species but I drifted off for a nap in the hope that perhaps a part of him wouldn't want to let me go for other reasons.

OoOoO

I woke up about an hour away from New Orleans, surprised that I'd slept for so long. I looked over at Eric and smiled at him.

"Is there anything else you want to talk about Eric?"

"I'm not sure what you mean Lover."

"I know you heard me when I told Gran I had feelings for you."

"Ah ... yes ... that. It was a pleasant to hear."

"That I have feelings for you? I would have thought it was obvious."

"It is but it's also interesting for you to admit it vocally. Before I went to rest yesterday I called Pam, she commented on our hand holding and affection for each other. I was telling her how different you were to other human women and how much I cared for your wellbeing and happiness."

"Okay, I guess you guys caring about a human's happiness _is_ pretty unusual."

"Very, but with you it seems ... natural. I don't think about the fact I'm doing simple things like holding your hand, it's like my body just does it automatically. You make me feel things I thought I'd forgotten how to feel, emotions that lay dormant until you walked into my world."

"Uh ... okay. Is that just a fancy way of saying you have feelings for me too?"

"Yes."

"So we're good then?"

"Yes."

"Cool."

OoOoO

We arrived at one of New Orleans many vampire friendly hotels, Andre checking in for all of us before we were led to the conference room by the manager. Mr. Cataliades was already in the room waiting for us, his briefcase surrounded by piles of paper and a jar full of pens in the middle of the table.

"Your Majesty." He nodded deeply. "I have the insurance claims for everyone in your retinue, is this all of your party?"

"No Mr. Cataliades, Rasul, Melanie and several guards and donors are expected to join us."

He shuffled the papers and started going around the table handing them out to us. It was the first time I'd ever had to think about claiming insurance, I didn't even know I had insurance but Eric explained that every resident of the compound had contents insurance for their apartment and it was part of our remuneration package. I must have skipped that part when I read over the contract. I listed all of the replaceable items that would have been lost in the fire, clothes, shoes, laptop. There was a fund set aside for us to immediately replace necessary items, we were to keep the receipts and pay back the Queen when the insurance came through.

Rasul, Melanie, Frank, Will, Tom and a group of other guards and donors came in and were handed the same forms. Once everyone was finished the Queen stood at the head of the table and addressed us all.

"Tonight we will make our way to the Monastery in the Garden district to deal with some questioning then we will return here for sunrise. The problems with accommodation will be dealt with tomorrow night."

Everyone nodded and left the hotel to pile into cars. The monastery was mostly finished its renovation and was looking very impressive so far, Andre shepherded us into the ballroom where 4 humans were tied to chairs. A heavily gloved Hadley, Will and Tom brought Lorena in and dumped her unceremoniously on the floor. She was bound in silver chains and had a silver ball gag on, you could see and smell the flesh around her mouth burning and the blood from her wounds had saturated the neck and shoulders of the tattered dress she wore. Hadley removed the gag and stood back.

"Lorena." The Queen circled around her, Lorena looked scared. I would be too if I was in her position. "When William first informed me you had called him I contacted you about it, do you remember what I told you?"

"That he was on some special project and was not to be called."

"That's not all of it is it? I asked you if you required his presence for valid reasons did I not."

"Yes."

"And is binding him with silver and forcing him to watch you feed then glamour your victims a valid reason?"

"No."

"How much did Waldo pay you?"

Lorena's eyes widened. "He wired $100,000 into my offshore account and promised me my own area if his long term plan was achieved."

"Your own area? Where?"

"Nevada. He said he would be owed a debt from them and that those who helped him would be rewarded by De Castro."

"I see. Well, Waldo is dead and you are ..." she turned to me and tapped her chin with her index finger. "Sookie please provide me with an appropriate human saying for this situation."

"Uh ... up shit creek without a paddle?"

"Delightful!" She giggled. "Yes Lorena you are most definitely up shit creek without a paddle!"

Lorena snarled and looked at Bill. "William as your maker I ..."

The Queen kicked her in the face and cut her off. "What would you command him to do hmm? Kill me? Not a chance Lorena. You are a poor excuse for a vampire, a poor excuse for a maker and a poor excuse for a woman! You crossed me to cheat your way into powers you have not worked for nor have the temperament for." She held her hand out to Andre who handed her a stake and a hammer; she placed the stake over Lorena's heart. "Lorena Ball, I sentence you to final death. Your crimes are: Conspiring to kidnap an asset of my State, ignoring a direct order from a monarch, endangering an asset of my state, torture of a fealty sworn vampire of my state and generally pissing me off!"

The stake was hammered into her chest and she crumbled, covering the Queen, Andre, Hadley and two of the human captives in blood as she choked out one last scream. The Queen called for a cleanup crew and indicated the four humans on the chairs before looking at Rasul.

"Is this all you could capture?"

"Your Majesty." Rasul bowed deeply. "Many were taken into police custody, 45 at the last count; these were all we were able to round up when they scattered. They were organised and well equipped, there are 3 were's with Dr. Ludwig receiving treatment for injuries incurred by silver weapons."

She nodded and asked me to see what I could find. Their minds were jumbled, fearful but still adamant they were right to do what they did. I went over them one by one asking certain questions, and got an awful lot of information not to mention the heebie jeebies. I shook off my distaste and turned to the Queen.

"They pretended to befriend Gina, she was given a high dose of diazepam and a few vodka's so she would give them the information they wanted, they then took her to a barred room where this one." I pointed to a large man with a shaved head. "Raped her and beat her for being a whore of Satan. They let her escape and followed her to her meeting with Sadie and Cora, where they captured all three of them and gave them more of the same treatment. It was Cora who told them that the compound was under minimal security."

I turned back to all four 'humans'. "You make me sick. You claim that vampires are the scourge of the planet yet you rape and beat women for fun, and even though only one of you did the actual raping and beating – all of you knew it was happening and you all revelled in Gina, Sadie and Cora's pain."

The Queen nodded. "Drain them all."

"Wait!" Bill and Andre were fangs out ready for action but surprisingly stopped at my voice. "If you drain them no-one will know what they've done, surely a better plan would be to drop them off at the Police department? They can be charged and ... and ... oh! We can make a press statement! After all, all you have done is exist and donate money to causes around New Orleans yet they attacked you – taking a non-violent route would, public relations wise, be more beneficial. These people have families and if they go missing they'll just guess that you guys took them."

The Queen came over, getting closer to me than she ever had before. There had always been a table or a chair between us until now.

"Sookie, you make a fair point but I cannot let them go." She turned to the Were's "Tom, Frank, you will go to this church and retrieve the three donors. Take them to the police station to make an official complaint. We will forgo the interference with the zealots they have arrested, I will contact Mr. Cataliades to set up a press conference, ensure the donors are there for it."

I did my half bob/half curtsey "Thank you for at least thinking about my suggestion Your Majesty."

She nodded and turned to the four humans, as did Andre, Bill, Hadley and Will. Eric grabbed my arm and murmured in my ear that I probably wouldn't want to see what happened next. Despite my plan to be more of a part of the vampire world, the screams I could hear made me realise that no matter how desensitised I tried to become, I could never stand and calmly watch humans being ripped apart.

Knowing our status, the Queen had booked Eric and I in the same room, I wasn't sure if that was something Eric was comfortable with, I knew vampires were very vulnerable while in their day death but Eric assured me that he not only trusted me enough to share his bed, he was actually looking forward to it. As I fell into exhaustion 10 minutes before dawn I was certainly seeing the benefits too, without the prospect of one of us having to go to another room a lot more could be achieved.

OoOoO

I woke up and did my usual stretch, jumping in shock as my hand brushed against cold flesh. I studied Eric in his day death by the light of the wall lamp; he was like a marble statue albeit a statue that was carved with great love and attention. I got out of bed, showered and dressed in the only clean clothes I had left before making a cup of coffee and calling Tom.

We agreed to meet in the foyer, I had to buy some new clothes and replace my laptop. Tom agreed to go with me for the laptop but said he wasn't willing to give me fashion advice. I'm not really good with that stuff, I have an idea of what goes with what and what suits my body shape but I like to have a second opinion.

"Maybe I could leave it until tonight and Hadley can help me?"

"Tonight is gonna be real busy Sookie, there's still a lot to do, we can't stay in this hotel forever. I can call Ellen and see if she's free, I know you've only met her once but she'll give you an honest opinion."

"Thanks Tom; that would be great!"

Tom called his were-swan friend and we arranged to meet up outside Dillard's in Lakeshore. Poor Tom's wife's Golf had been a casualty of the fire at the compound so we were in his truck. When we met up with Ellen she smiled brightly but I noticed a cast on her leg and a bandage on her arm.

"Oh my! Ellen what happened?"

"I saw three fellowship guys getting set to throw petrol bombs at a group of human girls running from the residence so I swooped down and managed to peck one of their eyes out, I didn't get away scot free though. Neither did the girls."

We nodded, aware of the fact that not only vampires and Were's had been killed in the attack. Mr. Cataliades was pushing the police to add accessory to murder charge to all of the attackers and protesters that had been arrested. For a group who preached that life was sacred they sure were willing to snuff it out. Tom made sure I had my gun in my purse and went to get a coffee while Ellen and I shopped until we dropped.

"Ellen, thank you so much for coming with me. This is the last clean outfit I have!"

"It's cool; I've actually enjoyed spending time with you. I closed the store today but I was starting to go crazy in the house, so I was pretty glad Tom called. So where are you gonna live? Does the Queen have a back up palace or something?"

"Not really, there's a building in the Garden District but it's mostly for entertaining." Or torture and feeding frenzies. "There aren't enough rooms currently to make it habitable for her entire entourage."

"You know, you're not bad for someone who hangs around with the vamps. You don't worship them like most of the girls who get involved and you're not cold and hard like the associates they employ. If you promise not to change, we'll do this again sometime."

She smiled an honest smile; I knew it was a joke with a serious undertone. She was absolutely right, I couldn't stand to become one of those fluffy girls who fall at the feet of the vampires and I certainly couldn't stand to be like Steven the DA for Cleo.

"Well Ellen, if we make this a regular thing you have to promise me you'll tell me if I start to show any signs of changing."

"Now; that sounds like a deal little telepath."

OoOoO

Tom and I had dinner with the remaining guards and donors; there weren't a lot of us. I'd been told that Gina, Sadie and Cora had been found by the police when Frank and Tom tipped them off that the girls were being held captive and just before dinner I'd seen it all over the news. To say the Fellowship's support had dwindled would be an understatement, they interviewed a number of people on the street and they were disgusted at the actions of the supposed church over the last week. In New Orleans they were done, whether that spread over the rest of the country remained to be seen.

I returned to the room 20 minutes before sunset, which Eric appreciated. Three times. We were almost late for the big meeting, just managing to get into the conference room and sit down before the Queen asked if everyone was present.

"Let's begin with the large scale accommodations. The monastery has two rooms suitable, both are light tight, one will be mine and Andre's and the other will be converted into a small dormitory for guards. At the moment there is just no room for others until we review the renovations. Eric is now free to return to his area; Hadley has her own apartment that leaves us with no organised accommodation for donors, Bill or Sookie."

The donors present looked almost afraid, which made sense, many of them didn't have families to go back to and very few had saved or invested their earnings to provide a deposit for an apartment. The Were guards and the vampire guards all looked at each other in distaste at the prospect of sharing beds over the shifts they work. I could see Eric was happy to be able to return to area 5 and Fangtasia but he took my hand and gently stroked the back with his thumb.

"I have rented three trailers which will be delivered to the Monastery grounds tomorrow, this should be sufficient for the six donors that remain in my retinue." The donors let out a collective sigh of relief. "Hadley's spare room is currently being fitted with light-tight shutters for Bill. I currently have an architect working on plans for a new official residence, even though these measures are temporary, they will be in effect for about a year to eighteen months."

Well that was practically no time at all for a bunch of immortals! I felt sorry for Hadley having to share her personal space with Bill, and it would be a dramatic change of scenery for the donors to be living in trailers, no matter how luxurious they were. Everyone nodded and thanked the Queen for doing so much to keep the group together, even in time of low esteem and personal loss she was still an organised and inspiring leader – a true Queen. I watched the guards and donors file out so they could travel to the Monastery and chip in with getting things ship shape, Sophie-Ann was about to leave too when I caught her attention.

"Uh ... your Majesty? Where will I go?"

"Oh! I thought ... well would you like to go over your options?"

"Yes, I would like that very much!"

Eric, Hadley, Andre, Bill, Sophie-Ann and I all sat back down at the table and Sophie-Ann spread her hands on the surface.

"Well, Sookie, there are a few options. You can remain on your current contract and stay in one of the donor trailers." Uh ... no! "Or, again with the same contract, we can rent a small apartment for you near the Monastery." Hmm ... that could be good. "Or we could change your contract and have you on retainer for services and you can live anywhere in Louisiana. With the great upheaval, I doubt I'll have great need for your talents on a daily basis. You will need to read the contractors and delivery staff for the Monastery in the next week but the rebuild of the residence and my Sherriff duties will take precedence to any business dealings I have."

"Okay, well, I really don't want to live with the donors. I like being able to relax my mind when I sleep. So that leaves the apartment or being on retainer. You say I can live anywhere in Louisiana but I thought you'd want me with you guys?"

"You lived in the residence so we could ensure you were able to handle being outside Valmont. You've proven without a doubt that you are able to live and work without incidents, I have watched you flourish into a very confident young woman over the last two months and I am sure, with proper safety precautions, you will embrace your independence."

"Oh okay. Can I think about it tonight and let you know my decision tomorrow?"

"Yes but no later than that. We must go to the Monastery to meet with the architects and oversee the changes to the dormitory but you can remain here if it would help you make your choice."

"That would be very beneficial your Majesty. Thank you."

I asked Eric if he could leave me alone with my thoughts for a while, so he went to the Monastery with the others and I went back to our room. I made a gin and tonic from the mini-bar and lounged on the sofa, having my own apartment seemed so daunting – but it was a step I guessed a woman my age has to make at some point. I imagined myself buying drapes and rugs and picking out paint colours, it was an exciting prospect! I'd be an independent working woman with friends and colleagues and a boyf ... oh wait no, I wouldn't have a boyfriend. I wouldn't be Eric's companion anymore and he'd be back in Shreveport, feeding and having sex with the women who go to his bar.

Maybe I could go back to Bon Temps? The Queen said anywhere in Louisiana and I'm sure Gran would only be too happy to have me around to help with the house! New Orleans wasn't that far to drive and Jason could teach me while I was there so I was able to drive myself down south and back when I was needed. I'd be close to Shreveport and, by extension, Eric but ... would he want me that close? Could I really have it all? The job, the home life and the personal life? What if he liked what we had but really wanted to go back to fangbangers? He said he could handle monogamy for a short while, what if that while was now passed? I couldn't share and if he expected me to share then it was very disrespectful.

I walked over and sat on the bed that we had shared the night before, running my hands over the sheets I remembered how ... natural it had felt to fall asleep next to each other. Eric had said before that it seemed natural to him too; he said he had feelings for me; would he say those things and then just go back to his old life? I know I couldn't. I sighed and bit the bullet, pulling out my cell phone and calling Eric's number.

_Lover?_

"Eric. I ... think I've decided but I don't know how it will affect ... us."

_I will be there as soon as I can Sookie. I have some things to say with regards to your choices._ He sounded cold, colder than he's ever sounded when talking to me.

"Oh ... okay."

I sat on the bed and finished my drink wondering if this was the big dump-a-rama, Eric was a vampire; they were capable of lies and deceit just like humans – in fact more. It had kept them hidden for millennia. I sank into resignation that maybe we just wouldn't have a happy ever after and prepared to make my decision to have the Queen rent an apartment for me.


	19. Generator

**Sookie, Interrupted – Chapter 19 – Generator**

_I'm the Generator, firing whenever you quit  
>Yeah whatever it is, you go out and it's on<br>Yeah can't you hear my motored heart  
>You're the one that started it<em>

_Generator – Foo Fighters_

OoOoO

I was still sitting on the bed when Eric stormed in the room and started pacing back and forth in front of me before stopping and looking at me intently. I took a breath and geared myself up to speak but Eric put his hand over my mouth.

"No! You will listen and I will talk. You may comment when I am finished."

I nodded and he took his hand away, clasping it with his other hand behind his back and paced again like he was trying sort out what he wanted to say in his head before actually saying it.

"Your call ... what you said to me, it ... I had felt your doubt and indecision through our connection." He crouched on the floor in front of me and pushed his long, blond hair back with his hands, resting his elbows on his knees before looking at me again. "Then you told me you weren't sure how things would affect our relationship, I wish to ... attempt to make your decision easier."

Well that sounded ominous. He stood and walked over to the mini-bar, taking out a Trueblood and guzzling it back cold. From his facial expression I could equate the experience to me drinking cooled bacon fat. Eric sighed and then straightened up again. I was finding it very hard to stay silent, it would be easier to keep my trap shut if he was talking and I was listening.

"Sookie, when I first saw you at that Sherriff's social, I knew you were no donor. I knew you were special, I could smell it and I wanted you. When I was asked to escort you in Baton Rouge, I had no idea of the effect your situation would have on me. I was, and still am, fiercely protective of you and I had no clue why that was but after spending so much time together this past week my ... feelings have only grown more intense."

Oh! Well that put a different perspective on things!

"Before, when the Queen ... suggested you become mine, I was sure that by the time we got Bill back I would be bored with you and ready to go back to my corner of Louisiana and continue my role as Sherriff and ... what would be the human title? Player! Yes, I was what you would call a player. My reputation as an excellent lover brought many women to me so I could feed and fuck but I believe returning to that ... existence would feel empty compared to the relationship we have developed.

I have not enjoyed having conversations, spending time or sharing thoughts with a human for many, many centuries and when we make love, and make no mistake that is exactly what we do, it is as if I can feel my heart beat again. You are the cause of that sensation Sookie, you have ignited something within me and I want to find out where it will lead us. You can choose New Orleans or anywhere else in the state but I want you to choose us, choose me. Choose not to give up on what you started."

Eric sat on the bed next to me, his eyes curious as they searched for a reaction from me. "You are shocked, why is this?"

"Well ... you sounded a little annoyed when I called you and I thought that you were coming over to tell me to stay in New Orleans, that you didn't want me. I was sure you'd want to go back and take up where you left off in Shreveport, after all – you did say that you could only stand to have me as your one and only lover for a short while."

"And our talk of feelings in my car? That gave you no indication that perhaps I would reconsider?"

"I ... a lot of people have told me about the Supe world, how all of you guys are willing to lie, to deceive to get what you want. I called you because I thought you would want your old life back and that the things you said before were just to ... keep you on my good side? I don't know!"

"Amazingly Sookie, I feel no desire to deceive you, another way in which you are different." I nodded and felt the tension leave my neck and shoulders. Eric pulled me into his lap and held me tightly, rubbing his nose into my neck and inhaling deeply. "How do you do it Lover? Every vampire who comes into contact with you has their view on their way of life challenged."

"Eric, I don't really do anything. I'm just me, whoever I talk to and wherever I am. Speaking of which, I should call Gran and ask if she'll have me back."

"You wish to live with your Grandmother? I assumed you would live with me."

"You ... you want me to move in with you?"

"That would be the most logical and safe place for you. Just because Waldo is finally dead, and his schemes along with him, doesn't mean De Castro, or other ambitious vampires, will give up. You will still require a day guard and a dashingly handsome Viking to prevent someone thinking they can just bundle you into the back of a van."

"That's a good point, so Shreveport it is then."

"Not necessarily. I have a few safe houses out with Shreveport in Ruston, Minden and Arcadia. Those will be closer to your Grandmother but I would have to increase the security on them before they were sufficient house us on a more permanent basis."

"Could I see them? Before we decide which one?"

"Certainly. I will not make a decision without your input; I understand that if I wish to have a relationship with you that I must value you as an equal."

"And take me on dates."

"Dates?"

"Yes. Take me out to the movies, dinner, dancing. The kind of things that normal people who are part of a couple do."

"Oh Lover!" He laughed that deep rumbling laugh. "We are anything but normal!"

OoOoO

The Queen kindly paid for our hotel room for the two weeks that I had to remain in New Orleans, when I wasn't reading delivery staff with Tom, tying up loose ends from the Queens business meetings or reading replacement donors with Eric (which created more problems than it solved) we spent time together doing things like seeing parts of the city I hadn't seen before. Plus we made love, a lot, in more positions and places than thought were possible, a few days ago I thought a big dose of reality would slap us in the face when my period came. I told Eric I felt gross and that it would be messy but he took that to mean we should have shower sex rather than bed sex – his only problem was that I wouldn't let him ... y'know ... use his mouth. It made sense to me, if my own body didn't want that blood then why would a vampire?

Sophie-Ann also asked my Gran if she could send a trusted contractor out to the farmhouse to see if there was space available for a light-tight area so Hadley could visit her regularly. They were starting work in a few days time and Gran was looking forward to having the family together on a regular basis. She wasn't the only one, I was fairly ... okay really excited at that prospect myself. Hadley was already complaining about Bill's constant chatter regarding how out of date the hardware and software was on her PC, her patience broke last night and she ended up throwing the computer at him and telling him he could do whatever he wanted with it. A couple of days away from each other would probably do them good; they reminded me of Jason and me when we were little.

Speaking of Jason, I was still a mixture of bewildered and grossed out by a telephone conversation he'd woke me up to have. I had no idea when he took Pam home that night that they would make a regular thing of their trysts, and the last thing I wanted was for him to be calling me up for advice on vampire sex stuff. I was surprised when I managed to go back to sleep afterwards and not have nightmares about the old wet/dry vacuum cleaner Mom and Dad had.

Tonight Mr. Cataliades was meeting with us to go over my new contract, the gist that I got was that I'd be paid a monthly fee to retain my services plus I'd get an additional fee when they were used. This meant that I could have another job as long as I gave priority to the Queen, Eric had already told me that there would be a big market for my telepathy and I would be nuts if I didn't cash in on it. I mean what else could I do? My resume would be shorter than a haiku.

I was dressed in a pretty skirt suit and ready to leave when Eric rose, Aunt Flo had also left the building so I was looking forward to getting the meeting over and done with so we could get back to our room and I could show him the lingerie I'd put on under my conservative outfit. Despite Hadley telling me that vampire blood made you extra horny, I think even Eric was surprised by my voracious appetite. He sniffed the air around me and popped his fangs.

"No! None of that! After the meeting we can come back here and have some fun but not before!"

He pouted, without the fangs it might have been cute. "But it's been so long since I've tasted you Lover."

"Later. Now - you get dressed and we meet with Sophie-Ann and Mr. Cataliades."

Eric huffed and stomped around at human speed, he even went into the bathroom to put his clothes on which annoyed me because one of my favourite little things was watching him bend over and pull his jeans up. The elevator ride down to the conference room was silent but filled with sexual tension, both of us making the effort not to touch one another or even really look at one another. It was noticed immediately when we entered the room, Mr. Cataliades wasn't there yet but all the vampires were. Hadley came to me before we sat down and pulled me back out into the foyer.

"Have you guys had an argument?"

"What? No! Well maybe a little, Eric wanted to ..." I cupped my hand around my mouth and whispered. "Have sex but I insisted we came down here and took care of this first. He just makes it so damn hard to resist him!"

"I'll bet it's hard."

"Hadley!"

"Oh hush Sookie! I know Eric's reputation and I also know your pussy is the only one he's stuffing these days." I opened my mouth to protest at her vulgar phrase but she cut me off. "He's more than happy, so don't try and act like a gentile lady when it's obvious you're anything but in the bedroom."

I opened and closed my mouth a couple of times; I had absolutely no reply to that. Hadley sniggered and dragged me back into the office by the hand. I sat next to Eric and less than five minutes later Mr. Cataliades came in looking flustered.

"I'm so sorry I'm late Your Majesty. Traffic."

He set his briefcase on the table and pulled out a pile of papers. Going over the contract was simple enough, it was just as we suspected but the one thing I didn't know was that Eric was to be my agent of sorts. If a vampire within the state asked for my services he could accept or decline on my behalf, if the vampire was from outside Louisiana, the Queen had to approve and I would also receive a sizable bonus for working across state lines. Eric would take 30% of my fee as my agent and from that 30% he had to give half to the Queen. I was allowed or rather; encouraged to start my own business as a way to increase my income and exercise my abilities, as long as Sophie-Ann got priority what I did on my own time was my beeswax. As with my first contract, everything was fair and protected my interests. I signed in all the indicated places, as did Sophie-Ann and Mr Cataliades and then I was free to go.

Eric and I would travel north the next evening at first dark (or as early as our libido's would let us) so I said my goodbye's to everyone, promising them I'd come down to visit even if I wasn't working. I could see Eric getting antsy and when the last hug was given, I was thrown over his shoulder and raced back to our room at vampire speed. He didn't even wait for the elevator, just ran up the stairs quicker than the Roadrunner with Wile. E Coyote on his tail feathers. I was eventually put down in the middle of our room where I immediately swayed on my feet for a second before running to the bathroom to bring up the jambalaya I'd had earlier. I was brushing my teeth when Eric knocked on the door.

"Lover? Are you ill?"

"It's called vampire speed for a reason Eric, humans aren't meant to travel that fast." I rinsed and opened the door, spotting Eric sitting at the end of the bed looking sheepish. "I know it's just you bein' enthusiastic and all and it makes me feel fuzzy inside that you need or want me so much but please don't do that again."

"Perhaps I can do something to make you feel better?"

Eric stalked towards me with a familiar look in his eyes; I put a hand on his chest when I saw him begin to lean his body into mine.

"I'm all for feeling good honey but I think I've still got vomit breath."

"So ... no kissing you on the mouth?"

I shook my head and he smirked before spinning me around so my back was to his chest and running his hands down my arms to grab my hands and place them on the wall above my head and parted my legs by nudging my feet with his booted toes while pushing my torso forward until my forehead rested against the painted surface.

"But I can kiss you anywhere else?"

I nodded, bumping my head off the wall a couple of times in the process and felt him slide my skirt up past my hips. Eric growled in approval of my stockings and garters and started kissing me thoroughly quicker than you could say 'body cavity search'.

OoOoO

The next day I spent the few hours between waking and waiting for Eric to rise packing the clothes and gadgets I'd bought into the luggage set Eric had given me as a gift. It was a sturdy Samsonite set, functional and long lived – practical rather than designer, Eric was aware of my distaste for spending excessive amounts on things no matter how much I needed them. I dressed casually and was accompanied by Tom to the nearest grocery store to pick up some essentials for our trip. I knew none of the houses we'd be visiting would have any food and that until Eric could arrange another guard for me I'd need to stay nearby while he was still resting. I ate a large dinner in the hotel restaurant, Eric had gone to make sure his Corvette had a full tank of gas before he came to bed this morning, so we shouldn't need to make any stops on the way north.

The plan was to drive to Ruston first as it was furthest east, then spend one night in each house heading west until we got to Shreveport and I got a chance to see the properties Eric owned there too. Once we'd decided which suited us best, we'd temporarily move into the most secure home Eric had in Shreveport until proper security measures were in place for our chosen home. Eric was already in contact with various packs and lone two-natured to organise a guard for me during the day and I had been in touch with Amelia, Hadley's landlady, about organising wards. Because Eric was a vampire, other vampires didn't need an invite to his house, so part of the extra security measures would be that ownership of the house would be transferred to my name. Even though Eric was living there, the theory was that if a human owned and lived in the property, the usual invite rules would apply and Amelia would be able to construct a similar ward around the home as I had in the old residence.

I sat my cases near the door to the room and stood at the window, taking in the view of New Orleans one last time before I set off to start my new life. Eric had already set up quite a few meetings for me in his area and we'd spent some time talking about what any business I started would be described as. Even though vampires were out in the open, I doubted your average human manager would be able to comprehend hiring a telepath, so we decided I would print 'Personnel Consultant' on any business stationary. If a human came across it they wouldn't be suspicious and I was on my way to becoming quite the icon in the Supe world apparently. I was lost in my thoughts on the future that was in front of me and didn't notice that Eric had woken up.

"Lover?"

I jumped a little and turned to the bed with my hand over my heart. "Eric! You startled me!"

"Why don't you come over here and I'll calm you down?" Eric had the monopoly on leering in our relationship, and smirking for that matter, not to mention eyebrow quirking.

"What do you have in mind Sherriff Northman?"

His eyes flashed with lust and the next second I was on my back bouncing on the mattress, Eric's hands inside my t-shirt and his fangs nipping lightly at my earlobe. His movements became slower, gentler and his mouth captured mine sensually.

"Mmmmm ... Eric." I was panting, aching but we had things to do and when Eric kissed me like that I knew we'd need a good few hours. "We should get on the road; if we keep going we'll never get to Ruston before Sunrise."

"Sookie, Lover, Dear Heart. Don't you want to give this room a proper goodbye?"

"Don't you want to christen every room in your houses?"

"Oh I love the way you think my little telepath!"

OoOoO

The drive north was uneventful, unless you include Eric and I groping at each other whatever chance we got. I watched the highway pass by and sipped at the bottle of water I had with me, knowing that soon I'd be settled, we would be settled, we would have a home, a permanent home. Eric glanced at me from the driver's seat.

"You are excited, I like that. Is it the prospect of what will be coming when we get to the house or is it something else?"

"I'm looking forward to moving somewhere and not having to move again. A place to call my own, if you like. I'm excited about being settled."

"It is something I am intrigued by. As a vampire I've never spent too much time in the same place, we always had to move, blend in. If we stayed somewhere too long people would get suspicious but since the revelation this is no longer a problem. I have a regular resting place but I've always made sure I have plenty of places to hide if need be."

"Because power brings problems, I get that, just look at Sophie-Ann. Religious hate attacks, petty jealousy, getting asked to marry someone only to know there's something hinky with it ... I don't think I could handle all that."

"It's the burden of being a regent, as a Sherriff I only have a fraction of those problems and as a good Sherriff I have many loyal vampires at my back to fight with me and help to protect my interests." He looked at me pointedly.

"So what does Pam think about us shacking up together?"

"She thinks I have gone mad, constricting myself to one human for however long you live, but perhaps if she had been the Sherriff and spent the same amount time with someone like you that I have, she would see things differently."

I thought about that a little and chewed my lip in concentration. Maybe Eric had gone mad? I was young and hot now but in 20 years gravity would be having a real effect on my perkiness.

"What's it like? Being turned? Is it painful?"

"These days it depends on who your maker is but before the revelation it was unusual to find a human who wanted to be turned. For me, yes it was painful; I was taken from the side of the road on my way home one evening. For Pam it was less ... violent. I was turned to be a warrior and servant to my maker, I turned Pam for company. It was a lonely life before we came into the open."

"If things work out ... with us ... how would it be for me?"

"For a start you would be aware, unless you were seriously injured but even then I would not turn you unless you asked. I am assuming that if you requested to be turned it would be me that you would choose for your maker." I nodded. "I would make it as painless as I possibly could and I would most definitely ensure we were making love at the time but your body would still react to dying, that is a discomfort I cannot prevent no matter how much I would want to."

"That's good to know."

He didn't speak to me for the rest of the journey, somehow sensing I wanted to be alone with my thoughts. I wondered what I'd really be missing if I was turned, I already kept vampire hours so it's not like I'd miss sunbathing. I worked in the Supe world so I wouldn't have to worry about changing my job or even finding a new place to live, wherever we ended up it would be suitable for vamps. I'd miss coffee and chocolate cake and beignets but whenever I talked to Hadley about that stuff she said that you miss them but it's a different feeling to say an ex-smoker sitting next to a pack of Marlboro's. I'd still be able to see Gran and Jason and me and Hadley could be literal BFF's. Five years maybe ten? I'll wait and see how my new life turns out, if Eric and I are still together and still as into each other I'll weigh up the pro's and con's again.

What on earth am I thinking about? Here I am on the cusp of what could be a successful and fulfilling life outside a mental hospital and I'm so busy thinking about what I'll be doing in ten years time! Considering ten years ago I was the family troublemaker no-one wanted at weddings, then ten months ago I was expecting to rot in Valmont for the rest of my life with the occasional trip back to Grans. Around ten weeks ago I was thrown into an amazing world where I was respected and encouraged to use the very thing that got me locked up but now ... well the world was my oyster!

I let a smile grace my lips and made a vow to always live for the next day because you never know what it will bring.

_A/N: There's a companion one shot to this chapter explaining more of the phone call between Sookie and Jason. It's called Jased and Confused._


	20. Ain't it the Life

**Sookie, Interrupted – Epilogue - Ain't It the Life**

Two vampires, a witch, a were-swan and a telepath walk into a bar. No; it's not the start of a really bad joke – it's my life now. Several times over the last year and a bit, me and the 'girls' meet in various bars across Louisiana to catch up, gossip, have girl talk, swap stories and generally shoot the Supe shit. Our first meet-up had been just after Halloween the previous year, Eric and I had settled into his most secure home while the 'farmhouse' (it seemed more like a plantation home when you compared it to the Stackhouse farmhouse) in Ruston was fixed up to our needs. Amelia had travelled north to put some extra wards on the Shreveport house and Hadley decided to tag along, we decided to have some drinks together but Pam walked in while we were planning and we invited her to come too. Then Ellen had called to say she was in Bossier City to have a meeting with the owner of a rare gun she wanted for her collection and boom! It was a full blown girl's night with bars, dancing and a drunken Sookie stripped of inhibitions being returned to a horny Eric who took full advantage.

Since then we'd met up at Merlotte's between me getting back from Dallas, where I met another telepath - Barry Horowicz, and Thanksgiving (which I don't think anyone in Bon Temps, especially Jason and Sam, will ever forget), after the Festive season (which deserved a huge blow-out after everything Eric, Pam and I had gone through with that damn witch Hallow), a while after Katrina we had a night in Baton Rouge where Lisa joined us (for a conservative dresser that girl knew how to party), basically anytime we all had the time to make for it we were cracking open the booze (or Trueblood in Pam and Hadley's cases) and chatting the night away.

Tonight we were back in Baton Rouge, where the Queen had temporarily moved to after the hurricane, and Lisa was already inside Viva with a table reserved for our party. We drew a lot of attention from the guys at the bar as we trooped in but none of us were here for that, this was the first time we'd had the chance to get together since the security farce that was the summit in Rhodes. It was fortunate that Sophie-Ann had the foresight to send me, Barry and Amelia up there a week in advance to scout for possible problems or it would have been a disaster.

"Hey girls!" Lisa stood and hugged each one of us, hugging was something Pam had had to get used to over the time she spent with us. "So! How about those fellowship goons?"

A collective 'Urgh!' was uttered from all of us as we sat round the table and a waitress came over for our drink order.

"I shudder to think what might have happened if we hadn't gone in advance."

"Definitely!" Amelia nodded enthusiastically. "How a supposed premier vampire hotel got so many Fellowship spies in its security team and staff I'll never fathom. The organisation was a mess, it was just as well we caught wind of the plans to blow the place up before any of the explosives had been put in place or Goddess knows how many could have died!"

We nodded solemnly as our waitress came back, then Pam raised her blood in a toast. "To telepaths! May they continue to save our dead asses!" Amelia cleared her throat. "And witches too, well some witches anyway."

"So, Sookie, what did Eric get you for Christmas this year?" Lisa asked and everyone at the table snickered.

"He bought me a new car since I eventually passed my test, which is more expensive than last year but also more impersonal."

Ellen choked on her SoCo and soda. "Oh yeah! Last year was very personal! I can't believe you didn't cut him off for that 'present'!"

"Hey I thought it was ... well I was going to say sweet but it was just him being his horny self."

"What did he get you?" Lisa obviously hadn't heard the story, despite it now being a fairly famous topic to tease both me and Eric about.

"He set an alarm for me to get up 2 hours before sunrise so we could open our presents together but when I got downstairs the only thing under the tree was Eric with a bow tied around his hard on." Lisa snorted and orange juice came out of her nose. "But anyway, there's a reason I wanted us all together. I have some news."

Hadley squeaked and her eyes bugged out of her head. "You actually agreed?"

"What?" I was confused, as was Pam.

"Eric, he's asked ... uh ... never mind." She looked at my face and realised that whatever she thought he'd asked - he most certainly hadn't. "Oh crap. Sorry, I just thought that ... with his visit the other week ... never mind, it was probably nothing, just Sherriff stuff."

"If what I had to say wasn't very important I'd get you to explain yourself now Had but it'll wait until I've gotten this off my chest." She nodded. "So about 6 weeks back Eric introduced me to someone, an unknown relation of mine and well, yours too Hadley. He was a fairy and he is my great Grandfather."

A collective gasp escaped everyone's mouths except Hadley. "You didn't know Sookie? Didn't Andre test your blood?"

"No he didn't. Whatever that entails - I had no idea he was a phlebotomist. That aside, you knew? You knew this whole time we were part-Fae and didn't think to mention it?"

She shrugged. "I never thought about it after Sophie-Ann turned me but I was sure that she and Andre would have checked you and told you. I figured if you didn't say anything you cared about it as much as I did."

"Okay." I nodded; the reasoning was sound ... for Hadley. "Well, the bottom line is that Grandpa couldn't have kids and a 'kind' half-fairy gave Gran the children she wanted, making us one eighth Fae."

"Super yummy but not so tempting that you end up drained." Pam winked. "No wonder Eric is able to refuse the fangbangers! I would too! If Jason was a Justine then our ... relationship would have turned out very differently!"

"So, you're not all human?" Ellen creased her brow slightly. "Fairy makes sense though, you're pretty, smart, cunning, brave, all the good Fae traits. Well here's to you Chica!" She lifted her glass. "May you never develop any of the bad Fae traits and stay as the sweet, funny, almost human that we all know and love!"

Our glasses and bottles clinked as we tapped them in response to Ellen's toast. As soon as that was done everyone's attention turned to Hadley.

"So." Amelia and Pam, who were either side of my cousin, leaned closer to her. "What was it you were saying about Eric asking Sookie something after a visit to the Queen earlier?"

"Indeed Hadley, my Maker has been very secretive these past weeks. I knew it had to do with Sookie and there is the chance that he merely wanted to hide her part-Fae status but I'm thinking it has more to do with your comments earlier."

"Uh ..." She looked at me nervously. "EriccametoseeSophie-."

Gasps, again. "Wh ... what?"

"Is it true Hadley? Eric asked to bind himself to Sookie permanently?" Pam seemed to be torn about the idea, if her expression was any indicator.

Hadley nodded and grabbed my hand across the table. "I'm so sorry I opened my big mouth Sook! I thought he'd already asked you and you agreed and that was your big surprise and now ... now I've ruined it!"

I'd learned about bonding over time, it was the one sure way to make certain your human never left you. While I was under no misconceptions about the reason why most Vampires bonded a human – I was a little lost as to Eric's reasons.

"Well ... I ... wow. Okay, okay. Look let's just forget you ever said anything. No more talks of bonding or me and Eric for the rest of the night, agreed?"

Everyone nodded and we moved onto other topics of conversation, laughing loudly enough to get the attention of almost everyone in Viva when Hadley, Pam and I recounted the story of when Bill brought a donor called Brandie to Thanksgiving dinner at my Gran's. When Gran told everyone to get ready to eat, Brandie stripped of her dress and sat on Bill's knee.

"Oh my! It was positively mortifying!" my hands were glued to my cheeks, which were red with embarrassment only remembering the incident!

"And you should have heard the way Gran went off on her!" Hadley did her best impression of Gran telling Brandie what was and wasn't accepted in her home.

"Before we went to rest Eric gave Bill a very stern lecture on vetting appropriate humans to bring as dates to a family dinner. I can't believe he didn't anticipate problems, Brandie was one glamour away from being in the fresh produce aisle of that insipid supermarket ... Wal-Mart ... yes that's the one." Pam sneered.

"Well." Hadley put down her bottle and leaned towards the table in the universal (I've learned) 'I'm about to give you some juicy gossip so lean in close' action. "I heard that since the VRA has passed he's been looking into what to do with the old Compton land and has been spending a lot of time with a real estate agent he met from Monroe."

"Well if she's able to hold down a job then it's one step up the evolutionary dating ladder for him." Ellen quipped with a smirk. "Unless he's making her up?"

Hadley snorted. "If he invented her, he could have given her a better name than Selah Pumphrey!"

"Oh Goddess! That sounds awfully homely!" Amelia curled her lip. "I've only met Bill a couple of times but if he was gonna make up a girlfriend wouldn't she be data analyst called Candy?"

We laughed more at Amelia's teasing and continued making fun of Bill a little more; really he was such an easy target! I went to the bathroom and when I came back, as usual, Pam and Amelia were cosying up to each other. Every single time we got together they hooked up, it didn't bother me now but when I first noticed it Pam was still having a kind of thing with Jason and it rubbed me up the wrong way to see her flirt with my friend when I knew my brother was hanging around for a phone call from her. I'd asked her to make a clean break with Jason and she did, Jason was put out for about a week but then he bumped into some girl called Crystal that he had seen around Merlotte's and forgot about why he was put out at all.

As last orders were being called at the bar, we all pulled out our diaries and planners, except Hadley and Pam – vampires have amazing memories. The next best time for a meet up would be for Sophie-Ann and Andre's wedding anniversary in March.

"Do you think she'd like a belated bachelorette party? The wedding itself was rushed through and we never had the chance to plan anything." I just stared at Amelia; there were no words I could find to reply to that. "What? Just because she's a Queen and a vampire doesn't mean she's not one of the girls!"

"Uh ... I don't think Soph would like that."

Hadley was slowly shaking her head from side to side. I knew deep down that what the Queen would like came second to how Hadley would feel. Sophie-Ann marrying Andre had been a better deal for Hadley than her marrying anyone else but it still had to hurt to see the woman you love committing herself to another. The wedding was a large affair, Sophie-Ann had been determined that after Katrina she would not show weakness, despite many Louisiana vampires falling to their final deaths. 'Our numbers may be depleted but we are still a force to be reckoned with' she had said. Plans had been kept under wraps tightly to prevent the FotS catching wind of it, which was mostly where I came in; I reviewed the staff and security of the hotel on a weekly basis from when the booking was made so we could move to another venue if someone had loose lips. Fortunately, the only problem we had was with the paparazzi on the actual night.

We pencilled in our next get together for 3 days after the anniversary celebration and went our separate ways. Pam, Amelia and I headed back to our hotel; I was swaying slightly but not so drunk that I needed help walking. Pam handed her room key to Amelia and saw me to mine and Eric's suite, waiting until I was safely in the room before leaving. I threw my jacket onto the sofa, kicked my shoes off and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth. Looking at myself in the mirror, I was more than pleased with the way things were turning out. I'm a strong, confident, independent young woman with more close friends and family than some people can shake a stick at. I'm in a loving, committed relationship. To the casual human observer, I'm a successful businesswoman who happens to keep odd working hours for the most part but in the Supe world I'm the go to telepath for people problems.

When I started my consultancy, I refused financial help from Sophie-Ann and Eric and instead applied for a loan from the bank to secure an office and other necessities to get me off the ground. Within three weeks of opening my doors I had a very impressive client list and an even more impressive balance on my check book. By the time 'Stackhouse Personnel Consultancy' was six months old that loan had been paid off in full and I was employing two assistants. Anita and Rowan both belonged to the Shreveport Longtooth pack, what with my abilities and readiness to give them a chance to work with me; I had come a long way with my relations with the pack since our first meeting in Merlotte's.

Most recently I was in talks with Barry to join me, offering him a partnership in my business and planning to open a Dallas branch with the business renamed 'Stackhouse/Horowicz Personnel Consultancy'. He wasn't 100% sure of whether to go for it, I think he was happy with the financial security his contract with Stan gave him.

I took a long drink of water from one of the bottles from the mini-bar and made my way to the bedroom. When I opened the door I was greeted with the view of Eric leaning against the headboard of the bed, smiling at me, completely naked, watching TV – which was odd because he never watches TV. It was then that I realised whatever he was tuned in to sounded an awful lot like very enthusiastic sex.

"Did you have a good time Lover?"

"Uh ... yeah. It was great, what are you watching?"

"Porn or what this generation proposes it to be. It's actually fairly un-erotic ... as you can see from my non-arousal."

Colour me confused. "So ... why are you watching it if it doesn't turn you on?"

"Because apparently I am in it." He grinned.

"Okaaaaay. You say 'apparently' so I'm guessing you have no recollection of making this porn movie."

"No and I'm unhappy at how they've put some actor in a bad wig, told him to curse in Swedish and expected people to believe it is actually me. I've already contacted my lawyer, although it is a compliment that someone would desire to capture my performances on film, a poor imitation is not complimentary."

I tilted my head to the side and watched as 'Eric' pounded into a red-haired woman who was, for lack of a better term, being throat fucked by another vampire. I could see why Eric described it as un-erotic, it didn't look like she was actually a person, she was just two holes for the vampires to enjoy, and from the gagging/retching/sobbing noises she was making, they were the only two in the scene gaining anything from the experience.

"That doesn't look like fun."

"For her I doubt that it is, they've been doing that for the last 20 minutes without a break."

"Eww."

"Indeed, it's also incredibly boring." He turned off the TV. "There is no way to make vampire pornography to human expectations and provide true eroticism. Since we went public, the human world is fascinated by the danger, the possibilities of brutality, our speed and stamina and that is reflected in movies like the one we just watched."

"Uh ... you mean_ you_ just watched." He rolled his eyes and I climbed onto the bed, still in my favourite red dress and matching heels. "So what would vampire porn be like if it was made to vampire expectations?"

"Lover, you do not want to know, many vampires find the strangest things a turn on. But would you like to know what a movie to my expectations would involve?" I had come leaps and bounds in my sexual experience since being with Eric but there were many things I drew the line at – most of them I learned about from the minds of fangbangers and pets. There were a lot of things he'd introduced me to that I loved and I knew that it pleased him but there were a couple of things I'd said 'no' to and the fact he didn't push me, pleased me.

"If it includes buckets of blood and a spiked leather collar, then no."

"Hmmm ... no those things are not featured, there would, however, be a blonde human with incredible breasts."

He rolled onto his side and rubbed circles on my ankle with his long fingers. "Uh huh and what would this blonde human be doing?"

"She would be looking into the camera and slowly removing her clothes."

Feeling a little naughty and confident from the alcohol in my system, I slid back off the bed and stood a couple of feet away as Eric scooted towards the edge of the mattress so he could see me from head to toe. I swept my hair back and reached for the zipper at the side of my dress, pulling it down slowly before slipping the straps from my shoulders one by one, peeling the fabric from my skin ten times slower than I would usually undress. When the dress dropped to the floor, I stepped out of it and kicked it to the side, standing in my red lace strapless bra, matching boy shorts and my shoes. I tore my eyes away from Eric's long enough to register his previously flaccid length was now standing to attention and twitching with interest at my little show, his eyes dark with lust as he realised I was playing with him. Eric loved bedroom games.

"And what else would this woman do?" I licked my lips and ran my fingertips over my stomach and along the waist of my panties.

"She would touch herself, very lightly, stroking."

As he said this his hand moved south over his chest to touch himself softly, showing me what he wanted me to do to my own body. I brought my hands back up and gently traced my collarbone with the ends of my nails.

"Here?"

"Lower."

It came out as a growl, I loved it when he did that, it was a 'tell' to how turned on he was and it made me throb in all the right places. I scraped my nails down the sides of my breasts, hips, thighs, down to my knees so I was bending over giving him a view of my cleavage.

"Here?"

He squeezed his erection and rubbed his thumb over the tip. "Higher."

My nails travelled back up the insides of my thighs, harder this time, leaving white trails on my tan skin until they were at the top of the lace that covered my breasts. I ran my hands over the skin spilling out of the cups.

"Here?"

"Yessss." He gripped himself tighter, stroking with his whole hand. "Take it off Lover, dance for me."

I picked out a song in my head and turned my back to him, releasing the hooks of my bra one by one, taking it in my hand and stretching my arm out as far as it would go before dropping it on the floor. I wrapped my other arm around my chest and swayed my hips to the beat in my mind, turning slowly and lifting my hair up from my neck, knees together and shimmying slowly towards the floor and back up again to the imaginary music. Eric was now sitting on the edge of the bed, his fangs making it impossible for him to close his mouth, the end of his hard cock shiny with pre-come that had leaked out.

"Let me see you Sookie."

I pulled my arm away but brought my other hand down at the same time so I was cupping my globes and plucked at my nipples with the thumb and forefinger of each hand, worrying my bottom lip between my teeth at the feelings the scene was bringing out in me. I continued to move to the song as I ran my hands over my torso, stopping at my hard buds to roll or pinch them every time my hands passed over. I heard Eric's rumble of appreciation.

"More. I want to see more of you Dear One; I want to see all of you."

I dipped my hand into my shorts and smiled when I felt how incredibly wet I was, gathering my juices on my fingers and placing them against Eric lips where he licked and moaned at the taste of me. I turned my back to him once more and slowly lowered my shorts, bending at the waist to untangle them from my feet and running my hands up the back of my legs to my rear. I spanked myself, not too hard, just enough to tingle and make the right noise, then I straightened my body and circled my hips before I turned back to face Eric. His hand was moving a little faster and his mouth was hanging open, his eyes drinking in every inch of me. I swayed lifting my hair and parting my knees with my hands when I dipped down, running a hand along my thigh and petting myself before shimmying back up to stand and place one heeled foot next to Eric on the bed.

"I don't even need to touch you to know how wet you are Sookie, I can see your sweet pussy dripping nectar."

His free hand gripped my leg next to him and he leaned forward to taste me, slowly, letting me know I had a choice - carry on with my little show or let Eric have control. I swung my leg from the bed and backed away, hearing Eric's chuckle and seeing the amusement dancing in his eyes, I continued walking backwards until my thighs bumped against a piece of furniture. I checked to see what it was to discover a fairly sturdy looking table which was just the right height for me to perch on, so I did. I spread my legs as wide as I was able to but continued to use both hands on my breasts, pinching and pulling at their stiff peaks. Eric stood up and knelt on the floor at the side of the bed, leaning against it and using his other hand to rub and squeeze at his balls.

"I know you want me Sookie. You're only torturing yourself."

I wanted to scream out 'God! Yes! I want you!' but then he would win, instead I smirked and brought my right hand down to run along my slit, moaning when my fingers made contact with my swollen clit. Eric's eyes flashed between my face and what my hand was doing as I slipped two fingers inside and pumped them in and out a few times then used them to rub slow circles on my pearl. I was too turned on, too close already and this had turned into a battle of wills.

"Ugh ... Eric ... baby." I kept alternating between burrowing my fingers in my soaking channel and playing with my bundle of nerves. Closer. Closer. "I'm so close Eric ... ah!"

Eric growled and I saw him move a little before stopping himself, he was back to using one hand to stroke up and down his cock slowly, he must be pacing himself. I was doing no such thing, as much as this was a game, there would be no loser. I just liked to see how far he would go before taking control. My hand was moving faster, my breath coming out in gasps and moans, the muscles in the pit of my stomach were coiling in anticipation and my legs were shaking with my body's need. I saw the tendons strain in Eric's neck and knew it was time for the big guns.

"I'm gonna come Eric ... don't you want me to come around your cock baby? Don't you love how it feels when I do that ... uh!"

I saw those tell-tale sparkles at the far edge of my vision just as I felt my vampire slamming into my body and burying his length inside me, my fingers were still rubbing at my clit and my walls clenched around him as he started to pound into me. I cried out his name and a whole host of grunts, moans and curses as his manhood bumped against my g-spot with every thrust, prolonging my orgasm to the point I was almost sobbing by the time his body jerked and he thrust one last time.

"Aaargh! Sookie!"

I felt his cool seed within me as he groaned out his release and slowed his movement until we calmed down. Eric lifted my very numb and possibly permanently marked butt from the table, which turned out to be just as sturdy as I suspected, and we collapsed onto the floor giggling. Well, I was giggling, Eric was out and out laughing.

"Well played Lover but next time you'll give in first."

"Oh really? What makes you think that?"

He picked me up and deposited me on the bed before going to root around for something in the overnight bag he'd packed. He pulled out a small dagger in a leather sheath and smiled at me.

"I bought this for a special occasion. I know that Hadley let slip a little secret I was keeping from you. Pam sent me a text earlier; she wrote that you were shocked but not disgusted by the idea of me bonding you to me."

"I'm confused more than anything, Eric. I thought what we had was a good thing, we're doing okay. Why do you want to tie me to you even further?"

"I like feeling you, your emotions. After our first exchange it took a little getting used to, but I like it, and I ... I want more. I want to feel you all the time; I don't want it to wear off."

"So you want to bond because of how it affects _you_ rather then how it affects me?"

"I love you Sookie and I know that you love me – I can feel it through the blood. As much as bonding will make you mine in every way, I'm already yours. Make the final exchange with me."

Wow, this was like the Eric version of a proposal, except bigger and more involved. I had learned a lot about vampire blood in the time that Eric and I had been together, after our first two exchanges Eric made me all too aware of the ramifications of more 'accidents'. The effects of those exchanges had worn off six or seven months later, that is to say that Eric couldn't feel me anymore – he would still be able to track me but my emotions were a mystery, he didn't like that, he liked to be able to tell if I was panicked or scared so I took a little more of his blood to keep the effects in place for him but we were careful to ensure that there was no exchange. I knew that there was a big chance that only one more exchange would make it permanent, and there was a chance I would be able to feel him too ... that would be nice and it would also be the only thing to change between us.

"Eric Northman, I am thrilled that you want to enter into a blood bond with me and it would be my pleasure to commit myself to you in this manner."

His eyes lit up and he smothered my mouth with his, pressing his arousal into my stomach and palming one of my breasts in his large hands. I was rolled onto my back, Eric propping himself up on an elbow and pinching my nipple before running that hand down between my legs. I was still sticky and slick from our earlier coupling, not to mention that the thought of another blood exchange and what reactions it would elicit was doing to me – there was no need for preparation and Eric swiftly picked me up and I slid down his erection easily with a drawn out 'Ahhh' emitting from my throat.

We locked eyes as he gripped my hips and helped me ride him, it was ... different. The way we were looking at each other it wasn't about the pleasure, it was about proximity ... just us being together, being as close to each other as we could without being one person, the intensity was almost overwhelming. Eric pushed me back so he could bite my breast but before he leaned over, he stroked one hand from my neck to my hip and gazed at me, almost reverently. It was too much; I closed my eyes and writhed in his lap.

"Look at me Sookie." I opened my eyes just as he bent down and sank his fangs into me, keeping his gaze on me as he drank. I shuddered against him as I came, Eric licked the bites closed and moved gently within me as I came down. "I love you Sookie."

"I ... I love you too Eric."

He grabbed the knife with one hand and pulled me back up with the other, making a quick but deep cut in his neck he commanded me to drink. I latched onto the wound and sucked as hard as I could, listening to Eric panting, feeling him swell and twitch inside me before shouting something in his own, dead, language as he reached orgasm. He collapsed on top of me, still, not breathing, not even making any noise at all.

"Eric?" A grunt.

"Are you okay?" He rolled off me and flopped onto his back, I giggled, it was just like he was a normal human man who had just made intense love to his woman.

"I feel ... like the marrow from my bones exploded out of my dick when I came. I also feel you, your fatigue but contentment. It is much clearer now than it was before."

Eric looked at me, I felt a buzz in my brain that hadn't been there before then I felt affection, trust and love wash over me. I gasped in surprise at the strength of Eric's emotions towards me. Then I moaned as he projected his lust and wanting to me.

"And that, Dear One, is why you won't win our little battle of wills again." Eric smirked at me.

He's a smug bastard but, by gosh, he's mine.

FIN.

_A/N: In addition to Jased and Confused, there's another SA/Hadley one-shot called Hadley Ever After posted. It's femslash - just a warning for those who don't like to read that kind of thing - and it gives a little insight into how SA might have decided to turn Hadley in this universe._


End file.
